In a Dec. 29 essay for The Cut, titled “In Sickness and in Health<\/a>,” Gayheart, 54, shared that both she and Dane were “weeping” when he called her from a doctor’s office in San Francisco to first tell her about his diagnosis after seeing a neurologist. (The Grey’s Anatomy star\u00a0later went public<\/a>\u00a0with his diagnosis in April 2025.)<\/p>\n “It didn\u2019t feel real because he was still okay,” she wrote. “I was here at home with my youngest daughter \u2014 my home, that I share with just the girls, since Eric and I separated in September 2017 \u2014 and I\u2019d gone into my closet to take the call, trying to be private.”<\/p>\n “She was saying, ‘Mommy, what\u2019s wrong? What\u2019s wrong?'” she continued. “I tried telling her, ‘Honey, nothing. Everything\u2019s fine,’ because I couldn\u2019t process it. I didn\u2019t know all the details like I do now, but I knew enough about ALS to know that there wasn\u2019t a cure.”<\/p>\n Jason LaVeris\/FilmMagic<\/p>\n Gayheart wrote that Dane’s symptoms had “started maybe a year prior.”<\/p>\n “When we would have a meal with the kids, he\u2019d say things like, ‘Something\u2019s wrong with my hand,'” she recalled. “He was struggling to use his chopsticks, dropping his food. That was when he started seeing doctors. He was initially diagnosed with a few other things, but he had this sinking feeling that it was something more serious.”<\/p>\n Dane met Gayheart in 2003, and the pair wed less than a year later in Las Vegas. They welcomed their first daughter, Billie, in 2010, and a second daughter, Georgia, in 2011. The\u00a0Beverly Hills, 90210\u00a0actress filed for divorce in February 2018 but then\u00a0requested to dismiss the petition<\/a>\u00a0in March 2025.<\/p>\n While both Dane and Gayheart have dated other people since their split, she said that they remained close, living only 12 minutes from each other’s homes. She added that they shared “a lot of meals together” and had “a lot of drop-by visits” with their children.<\/p>\n “He made it very clear that he wants to spend time with his family as much as possible, and I am committed to facilitating that,” she wrote.<\/p>\n While Gayheart acknowledged that their dynamic is “confusing” for people, she said she always wants “the best for” Dane.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s a very complicated relationship, one that\u2019s confusing for people,” she wrote. “Our love may not be romantic, but it\u2019s a familial love.”<\/p>\n Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane in 2004 Chris Weeks\/WireImage<\/p>\n In September, Gayheart told PEOPLE that she and her girls were taking Dane’s diagnosis “day by day.”<\/p>\n “We have some professional therapists who are helping us, and we’re just trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace and love,” she said. “I mean, it’s heartbreaking. My girls are really suffering, and we’re just trying to get through it. It’s a tough time.”<\/p>\n In June, Dane also spoke about his tight bond with Gayheart, telling\u00a0Good Morning America<\/a>‘s\u00a0Diane Sawyer<\/a>\u00a0that they talk every day.<\/p>\n “We have managed to become better friends and better parents,” he said. “And she is probably my biggest champion, my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”<\/p>\n When he announced his ALS diagnosis with PEOPLE, Dane shared in a statement that he was “grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”<\/p>\n While announcing his death, Dane’s family said he died “following a courageous battle with ALS” and “spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world.”<\/p>\n “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight,” they continued. “He will be deeply missed, and lovingly\u00a0remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring\u00a0of love and support he\u2019s received.\u00a0The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/f108e74fcad842a4cdc9bb24fdd1ae61.jpeg\"\/)
Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart and daughters Billie and Georgia in 2017 <\/p>\n![\"Rebecca](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/243efaae4cbfe0e6dfa664db06a23154.jpeg\"\/)
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