Inside Eric Dane’s devastating phone call to ex Rebecca Gayheart revealing ALS diagnosis

See more of our coverage in your search results. Rebecca Gayheart was the first person Eric Dane called after his ALS diagnosis — and the actor recounted the devastating conversation in his posthumous memoir. “It’s what we feared,” the “Grey’s Anatomy” alum told his estranged wife in 2024, according to People’s excerpt of “My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments.” Noting he didn’t “remember a single word” he uttered afterward, Dane recalled, “I remember only feeling a violent impact, like getting the wind knocked out of me.” Eric Dane immediately called Rebecca Gayheart (pictured above in September 2009) after receiving his ALS diagnosis. WireImage The late actor wrote about the conversation in his posthumous memoir, “My Book of Days,” which will be published next month. The Open Field The “Euphoria” alum remembered Gayheart “wailing” on the other end of the phone, while he experienced “body-shudder[ing]” sobs. Gayheart, Dane wrote, eventually said, “I’m here, we’ll fight this together, I’m not going anywhere.” The actress, 55, shared her own perspective of the emotional chat in an interview with People, published Thursday. The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum recalled his estranged wife (pictured above in November 2013) “wailing” during their chat. WireImage Dane (pictured above in July 2016), meanwhile, “sobbed.” Stefanie Keenan Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! “I went into my closet and closed the door,” she told the outlet, calling Dane’s words a “punch to the gut” that “took [her] breath away.” At the time, Gayheart and Dane were separated. “We were married for 14 years, grew apart, filed for divorce [in 2018] but never got around to signing the papers,” Dane clarified in his book, which hits shelves Nov. 3. Gayheart (pictured above in 2005) told People on Thursday the news was a “punch to the gut.” WireImage Dane (pictured above with Gayheart and daughters Billie and Georgia in June 2017) was diagnosed in 2024 and went public the following year. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Image The former couple, who “stayed close” while co-parenting daughters Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14, spent time together despite their split, even vacationing as a family and speaking “every day.” The exes made headlines for calling off their divorce days before Dane went public with his diagnosis in April 2025. However, the pair dated other people. Gayheart continued to support Dane until his death at 56 in February, and he detailed her help in his tell-all. He wrote in his book about how Gayheart (pictured above in August 2022) supported him throughout his health struggles. rebeccagayheartdane/Instagram Dane (pictured above in November 2025) died in February at age 56. Roger / PGP / BACKGRID Dubbing the former model his “best friend,” Dane wrote, “She drops by every day, early in the morning, late at night, sometimes in the middle of the night when she knows I won’t be sleeping.” Gayheart was the person the “Last Ship” alum went to when he needed to “talk,” “scream” or “cry.” The “Urban Legend” star told People that if she could speak to Dane now, she’d say, “I’m going to look after [our] girls and protect them with everything in my body and soul.” 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? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!