{"id":639035,"date":"2026-10-23T11:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T11:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/639035\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T11:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T11:46:11","slug":"eric-danes-posthumous-memoir-reveals-the-estranged-wife-he-never-divorced-was-the-first-person-he-called-after-his-als-diagnosis-i-say-to-rebecca-on-the-phone-its-what-we-feared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/639035\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Dane’s posthumous memoir reveals the estranged wife he never divorced was the first person he called after his ALS diagnosis: \u2018I say to Rebecca on the phone, \u2018It’s what we feared.’ I don’t remember a single word I said after that’: Eric Dane in his posthumous memoir"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eric Dane’s posthumous memoir reveals the emotional phone call he shared with his estranged wife, Rebecca Gayheart, after learning he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).<\/p>\n

In an excerpt from “My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments,” the late Grey’s Anatomy star recalled calling Gayheart immediately after receiving his diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Although the couple had separated and filed for divorce years earlier, they had remained close and continued raising their two daughters together: “I say to Rebecca on the phone, ‘It’s what we feared.’ I don’t remember a single word I said after that.”<\/p>\n

The actor described the moment as an overwhelming shock, while Gayheart cried on the other end of the phone.<\/p>\n

Dane’s memoir offers a personal look into how the diagnosis affected both of them and how their relationship continued to evolve through his illness.<\/p>\n

The emotional phone call\"Eric<\/p>\n

Eric Dane said Gayheart was the first person he called after his diagnosis. BY: MIRROR\/YOUTUBE<\/p>\n

Dane wrote that he remembered feeling “a violent impact, like getting the wind knocked out of me” after telling Gayheart about his diagnosis, per Just Jared<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He recalled that she was “wailing on the other end of the phone” before he also broke down in tears.<\/p>\n

He said Gayheart reassured him that she would remain by his side: “I’m here, we’ll fight this together, I’m not going anywhere.”<\/p>\n

This shows how their support for one another continued despite being separated.<\/p>\n

Estranged couple remained close after separation\"Eric<\/p>\n

Eric Dane was a part of Grey’s anatomy. BY: GOOD MORNING AMERICA\/YOUTUBE<\/p>\n

Dane and Gayheart married in 2004 and had two daughters, Billie and Georgia.<\/p>\n

Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, but the paperwork was never finalized.<\/p>\n

In the memoir, Dane explained that they had grown apart but continued co-parenting, taking family vacations and spending time together.<\/p>\n

He wrote, “We’ve since stayed close, co-parenting, going on vacations as a family, spending time together and now we talk every day.”<\/p>\n

Dane also acknowledged that his demanding work schedule and struggles with addiction had affected their relationship.<\/p>\n

Actor says his daughters became his purpose\"Eric<\/p>\n

Eric Dane said his daughters became his purpose. BY: PEOPLE\/YOUTUBE<\/p>\n

Dane also wrote about his determination to face ALS while being there for his daughters: “I’m going to take this on. I’m going to fight. I’m going to show my girls how to walk through this life with grace and dignity, no matter what.”<\/p>\n

He added, “This has become my purpose. My reason. This is now my job.”<\/p>\n

Dane publicly announced his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. He died at age 53 on February 19, 2026, after battling the disease.<\/p>\n

“My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments” is scheduled for release on November 3.<\/p>\n

The book shares the actor’s reflections on his career, personal struggles, family, and final days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eric Dane’s posthumous memoir reveals the emotional phone call he shared with his estranged wife, Rebecca Gayheart, after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-639035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}