Rebecca Gayheart shares 'new chapter' after Eric Dane's death
Rebecca Gayheart is opening up about how she and her daughters are moving forward following the death of her husband and their father, Eric Dane.
The actor known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria passed away in 2025 aged 53 after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is a type of motor neurone disease that causes progressive, incurable degeneration of motor nerves.
Gayheart, 55, has called the period after his passing a ‘season of growth for all of us’ in a new interview with E! News.
Speaking on the impact the loss has had on her and their daughters Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14, she added: “Life is hard for us right now. But we are getting through and we are soldiering on.”
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Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis publicly in April 2025. While symptoms differ from person to person, as it depends on which nerve cells are affected, ALS usually starts with muscle weakness that spreads and worsens as time goes on.
Dane first started experiencing symptoms a year and a half before, when he began to experience weakness in his right hand.
Speaking to Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, Dane recalled: "I didn’t really think anything of it at the time.
"I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later, I noticed it got a little worse. So I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist. I went and saw a neurologist, and the neurologist sent me to another neurologist and said, 'This is way above my pay grade'."
"I will never forget those three letters," Dane said. "It’s on me the second I wake up. It’s not a dream."
The Grey’s Anatomy star's family confirmed to PEOPLE that he died on 19 February 2025 in a statement, which reads: "With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS.
"He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world.
"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."
The message concluded: "He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time."
He appeared in the final season of Euphoria this year as Cal Jacobs, Nate’s father.
The actress, who spent time away from her career to raise her children, says she is focusing on making a musical adaptation of her cult 1999 comedy film Jawbreaker.
|I took many years off to be a stay-at-home mom,” she shared, “so now it's really important for me to do this musical and show my kids that this is, number one, what we do as women. We go back to work. We say yes to things that are scary. And also, we do that even when life is hard.”
Although Gayheart says she’s ‘not a singer’, she revealed she was inspired to do the project because it is ‘out of my comfort zone’.
Topics: Celebrity
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