Rebecca Gayheart Reflects on Eric Dane’s Final Days and ALS Battle

Rebecca Gayheart has shared details about the final week of actor Eric Dane’s life, reflecting on the sudden gravity of his last hospitalization and the family's journey following his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dane passed away in February at the age of 53, less than a year after publicly disclosing his illness.

Speaking with NBC special correspondent Maria Shriver on TODAY, Gayheart discussed the release of Dane’s posthumous memoir, titled “My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments.” Gayheart and the couple's two daughters, 16-year-old Billie and 14-year-old Georgia, never anticipated that his final trip to the hospital would be his last. Having experienced previous hospital visits where he was treated and returned home, the family initially maintained their routine.

“I said, ‘Listen, I’ll be back. I have a dinner. I’m going to this event.’ I had no idea that that was it, that that week was going to be our last week,” Gayheart told NBC. It took a few days for the family to realize the situation had shifted. By the third day, changes in the doctors' tone and information made the severity clear, and Dane himself recognized the shift while continuing to communicate.

To provide comfort, Gayheart and their daughters established a familiar routine inside the hospital room, conducting family sleepovers with battery-operated candles and playing his favorite music. Gayheart noted that while people often mention the benefit of having time for final conversations, navigating the illness lacked a clear road map because the trajectory differs for every patient as physical abilities decline.

Dane's memoir also details the difficult medical journey leading up to his definitive diagnosis. Before learning he had ALS, the “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” actor was initially misdiagnosed with multifocal motor neuropathy, a rare autoimmune disorder. After treatments failed to yield results, further testing, including spinal fluid extraction and brain scans, led to his ALS diagnosis in 2024.

Reflecting on the initial news, Dane wrote in his book that receiving the diagnosis felt like a "death sentence" and a "horror movie," causing intense emotional distress for both him and Gayheart when he shared the news over the phone. Gayheart filed to have their 2018 divorce dismissed in 2025, and she remained by his bedside as he ultimately decided on his own terms how he would leave.

In the wake of his death, Gayheart continues to focus on protecting and caring for their daughters, emphasizing that Dane developed a renewed appreciation for every minute of his life after his diagnosis.