Rebecca Gayheart broke her silence on husband Eric Dane’s death following his battle with ALS.
Gayheart, 54, shared multiple throwback family photos with Dane and their two daughters via her Instagram Stories on Saturday, February 21, along with a link endorsing a GoFundMe campaign meant to financially support their kids within the wake of the late actor’s premature death.
“Thanks to everyone,” she wrote next to a screenshot of the fundraiser.
Us Weekly confirmed Dane’s death at age 53 on Thursday, February 19.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” an announcement from his family read. “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the middle 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 identical fight.”
The message continued, “He shall be deeply missed and lovingly remembered all the time. Eric adored his fans and is perpetually grateful for the outpouring of affection and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this unimaginable time.”
HBO also shared an announcement mourning the actor, who starred as Cal Jacobs on Euphoria. “We’re deeply saddened by the news of Eric Dane’s passing,” a spokesperson said. “He was incredibly talented and HBO was fortunate to have worked with him on three seasons of Euphoria. Our thoughts are along with his family members during this difficult time.”
Weeks before his death, Dane was expected to attend the ALS Network’s Champions for Cures and Care Gala on January 24 to just accept his Advocate of the 12 months Award, however the organization revealed that “as a consequence of the physical realities of ALS, he [was] not well enough to attend.”
Gayheart shared two daughters with Dane, whom she married in 2004. The pair separated in 2018, but Gayheart eventually withdrew her divorce petition in 2025. Later that 12 months, she opened up about Dane’s diagnosis in an article for Latest York Magazine‘s The Cut.
“His symptoms began perhaps a 12 months prior. After we would have a meal with the youngsters, he’d say things like, ‘Something’s fallacious with my hand.’ He was struggling to make use of his chopsticks, dropping his food. That was when he began seeing doctors,” Gayheart recalled in December 2025.
She continued, “When he told me that day, he just began weeping, as did I. It didn’t feel real because he was still OK.” Every week later, she and Dane told their daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, about his diagnosis.
Dane eventually went public along with his health battle in April 2025. Gayheart, meanwhile, called ALS a “terrible disease.”
“Irrespective of how prepared you might be, or how much I prepare the ladies, or how much Eric prepares himself, he’ll get up one morning and there’s something else that’s an obstacle, or he’s lost the power to do yet one more thing — it just comes out of nowhere,” she wrote. “It’s a terrible, terrible disease.”
Gayheart also reflected on her relationship with Dane, writing, “We separated, but we never got a divorce; we were about to after which we didn’t. We haven’t lived in the identical home for eight years; he’s dated other people, I’ve dated someone. It’s a really complicated relationship, one which’s confusing for people. Our love is probably not romantic, nevertheless it’s a familial love.”
Dane, meanwhile, reflected on his marriage to Gayheart in his final interview, which aired on Netflix after his death.
“I won’t ever, by the point anybody sees this, have fallen in love with one other woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca. She’s the mother of my children,” Dane said in his Famous Last Words interview, also acknowledging why they separated in 2018. “I feel Rebecca was more willing to point out up and do her part than I used to be. I don’t have that gene [that] just makes you desire to keep going no matter what’s happening. I’m like, ‘If there’s a hole within the boat, don’t attempt to patch the outlet. Scuttle the rattling thing and go discover a recent one.’ … Rebecca’s a fighter and he or she perseveres.”