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Rebecca Gayheart describes staying present through Eric Dane's final days
In a new People interview, Gayheart explains how her family leaned on sushi, movies and game nights as ALS took hold, and why Dane's memoir matters to their daughters.
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A family that stayed together
Rebecca Gayheart and her two daughters tried to stay present through the fear, frustration and uncertainty of Dane's final days, she told PEOPLE. [1] She discussed the difficulties Dane faced during the last two years of his life in a new People interview, which was also discussed on Good Morning America. [2]
Gayheart described the final period as an exhausting and heartbreaking experience that also showed Dane's extraordinary strength every day. [1] She said Dane's last wish was to spend more time with their daughters, Billie and Georgia. [3]
The final days
Dane's family statement said he spent his final days surrounded by friends, his wife, and his daughters Billie and Georgia. [3] In the days before his death, the family found comfort in familiar routines such as eating sushi, watching movies and gathering for game nights. [3]
Patrick Dempsey said that in those days Dane was starting to lose the ability to speak. [3] He said Dane was bedridden and had great difficulty swallowing, and his quality of life was deteriorating rapidly. [3]
The diagnosis
Dane was diagnosed with ALS in April 2025. [3] ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. [3] There is currently no known cure, though FDA-approved medications exist. [3]
The family statement said Dane became a passionate advocate for ALS awareness and research. [3]
Divorce petition and family ties
Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane in 2018. [1] The divorce was never finalized because Gayheart asked to dismiss the petition in March 2025. [1]
Gayheart said Dane and she remained a family despite their separation. [3] She said she wants to model for her daughters how to show up for people, including their father. [3]
What the memoir records
Dane's posthumous memoir, My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments, goes on shelves on November 3. [1] According to Gayheart, Dane was hesitant to write it. [1] She said she is grateful he did, because it lets their daughters know their father as a human being. [1]
In the memoir, Dane wrote that he found out about his diagnosis nine months after the first symptom and immediately called Gayheart. [1] He told her on the phone that it was what they had feared. [1] She told him they would fight the illness together and that she was not going anywhere. [1]
Dane also wrote that his daughters gave him purpose as he faced the disease and that he intended to show them how to live with grace and dignity. [3]
What this means for readers
If you want to read Dane's account in his own words, the memoir goes on shelves on November 3. [1] Gayheart's interview is in People and was also discussed on Good Morning America. [2]
If ALS is new to you, it affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and it has no known cure, though FDA-approved medications exist. [3] Dane's family statement said he became an advocate for ALS awareness and research. [3]
Sources
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