Eric Dane’s widow Rebecca Gayheart details actor’s brutal decline before ALS death: ‘Everything shifted’

See more of our coverage in your search results. Rebecca Gayheart emotionally detailed her late husband Eric Dane’s brutal decline in the final week before his tragic death. “I had no idea that that was it, that that week was going to be our last week,” Gayheart told Today.com Tuesday about the actor’s death on Feb. 19. “And nor did my daughters. It really took a few days for us to understand the gravity of what that last trip to the hospital meant.” She noted that by that point in Dane’s battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), he “had gone to the hospital so many times before, and they would patch him up, so to speak, and he would come home.” Rebecca Gayheart (pictured on the “Today” show Tuesday) emotionally detailed her late husband Eric Dane’s brutal decline in the final week before his tragic death. NBC “I had no idea that that was it, that that week was going to be our last week,” she told the outlet, noting their two daughters didn’t know either. NBC They thought this time would be the same. “I said, ‘Listen, I’ll be back. I have a dinner. I’m going to this event.’” However, Gayheart — along with her and Dane’s two daughters, Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14 — knew something was wrong by Dane’s third day in the hospital. “Everything shifted. Just the tone of when the doctors were talking to us, and some of the information we were given,” the model recalled. By Dane’s third day in the hospital though, “everything shifted” and it became clear how dire the situation was. (Pictured: Dane in October 2025.) ShotbyNYP / BACKGRID “Just the tone of when the doctors were talking to us, and some of the information we were given.” Roger / PGP / BACKGRID Gayheart told the outlet that the “Grey’s Anatomy” star also became aware of the severity of the situation. “He was fully aware it was shifting, and he was still communicating with us. Not well verbally, but I could understand him most of the time. The kids could most of the time, his closest friends.” Ultimately, Dane had the final say in how his health journey was going to end. “But I remember the moment Eric decided to make some choices, and he did. … He was in control of the way he was going to leave.” To comfort the “Euphoria” actor in his final days, Gayheart and their daughters had family sleepovers in Dane’s hospital room. During his final week in the hospital, Gayheart and their daughters Billie and Georgia (pictured in 2024) had sleepovers in his hospital room. FilmMagic Gayheart noted that the “Euphoria” actor (pictured in July 2025) was in control of his health journey in the end. ShotbyNYP / BACKGRID “The girls and I just camped out there with him, and we had our family sleepovers,” she said. “And we brought in those little candles that aren’t real candles. They have batteries. And we played his favorite music, and we tried to make it as nice as you can be in the hospital room.” Dane passed away on Feb. 19, less than one year after he announced his diagnosis with ALS. He was 53. He died of respiratory failure, per his death certificate obtained by People in March. When it came down to it, Gayheart was unprepared to say goodbye to her husband of 22 years. Dane (pictured with his family in 2017) ultimately passed away on Feb. 19, less than one year after he announced his diagnosis with ALS. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Image Gayheart (pictured with Dane in 2013) told Today.com that she was unprepared when it came time to his passing. WireImage “A lot of people will say, ‘Well, at least you knew, and you could have those last conversations,’” she said. “But we didn’t know, because there is no road map. No one can tell you what the journey looks like because it’s so different for every patient. “He was becoming more alive mentally, but losing all of his physical abilities. And for the girls, that was really hard to watch as well. But overall, it’s a blur, because it was just so overwhelming.” Gayheart also sat down with Maria Shriver on Tuesday’s broadcast of the “Today” show, discussing how unexpected Dane’s passing was. “We never ever anticipated that we would lose him in February,” she told Shriver, noting it’s a “great, tremendous loss” for their children. In his posthumous memoir, the late star (pictured in January 2025) revealed that struggling to use chopsticks was his first sign of ALS. Getty Images for Prime Video The “Grey’s Anatomy” star (pictured in September 2025) went public with his diagnosis in April 2025. The Washington Post via Getty Images Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! She also talked about her late husband’s posthumous book, “My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments.” In the tell-all, which hit bookshelves Tuesday, the late star revealed his first sign of ALS was when he suddenly began struggling to use chopsticks at dinner with his family. He also shared with readers that Gayheart was the first person he told of his heartbreaking diagnosis. After breaking the news to his estranged wife, she told him, “I’m here, we’ll fight this together, I’m not going anywhere.” Dane and Gayheart tied the knot in 2004 before welcoming their kids (seen above). rebeccagayheartdane/Instagram Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane in February 2018, but withdrew the petition due to his illness. realericdane/instagram Dane and Gayheart tied the knot in a surprise ceremony in Las Vegas in 2004. They welcomed daughters Billie and Georgia in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The “Scream 2” actress filed for divorce from Dane in February 2018 after 14 years of marriage, but withdrew the petition last November due to the actor’s health issues. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? 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