Rebecca Gayheart has spoken about the final moments of her late ex-husband, actor Eric Dane, sharing that she and their two daughters were with him when he passed away in February. Dane died at the age of 53 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
"He was surrounded by the girls and I, the last days, hours, minutes of his life ... that was something so difficult but also really important," Gayheart said in a recent interview. She expressed a desire to tell Dane how proud she was of him and that their family would ensure he would not be forgotten.
Gayheart and Dane, despite separating after 14 years of marriage, remained close and co-parented their daughters, Billie and Georgia. Gayheart recalled the day Dane was diagnosed with ALS as a particularly challenging moment. "I went into my closet and closed the door," she said. "I was always telling him, 'You're going to be OK. We're going to figure this out.' But that day was like a punch in the gut. It took my breath away."
The couple involved their family therapist to break the news to their daughters. Gayheart said Dane expressed his desire to spend as much time as possible with them. The family engaged in activities like sushi lunches, dance recitals, and movie nights, striving to remain present amidst their fear and uncertainty.
"It was truly an exhausting and heartbreaking experience but it also showed us his extraordinary strength every day," Gayheart reflected.
Dane also chronicled his experiences in a posthumous memoir, titled "My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments," which is set to be released in November. In excerpts from the memoir, Dane wrote about his enduring connection with Gayheart, stating, "We leave our marriage but we don't leave our family." He further noted that after his ALS diagnosis, "Rebecca not only shows up. She remains my best friend. ... She's the one I go to when I need to talk, when I need to scream, when I need to cry."
Gayheart expressed gratitude for Dane's memoir, believing it offers their daughters a deeper understanding of him as an individual.