Eric Dane called Rebecca Gayheart from his car after learning he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
In his forthcoming memoir, My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments, the Grey’s Anatomy actor recalled telling his estranged wife about the diagnosis.
“I say to Rebecca on the phone, ‘It’s what we feared,’” he wrote in an excerpt published by People. “I don’t remember a single word I said after that.”
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The memoir will be published on November 3, nearly nine months after Dane’s death on February 19 at age 53. He publicly announced his diagnosis in April 2025.
‘I’m Here, We’ll Fight This Together’
He recalled hearing Gayheart cry on the other end of the line. She told him, “I’m here, we’ll fight this together, I’m not going anywhere.”
The two separated years earlier. Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, but they continued to co-parent their daughters, Billie and Georgia, and take family vacations. Dane wrote that their separation hadn’t changed their commitment to their family.
“Rebecca and I are not a couple anymore. Usually, almost always, we’re not a couple. But we are, always, a family,” he wrote.
Dane also wrote about the support he received from Gayheart. “She’s the person I call, the one I go to when I need to talk, when I need to scream, when I need to cry.”
The First Sign Something Was Wrong
Dane wrote that he first noticed trouble with his right hand while eating sushi with his daughters on January 7, 2024. He initially blamed texting, but a few weeks later he could no longer hold the chopsticks.
ALS affects the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. As those cells deteriorate, people develop muscle weakness that worsens over time. The disease can eventually affect the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe.
There’s currently no cure, though treatments can help manage symptoms, and some may slow its progression.
After his diagnosis, Dane thought about what he wanted his daughters to see from him. “I’m going to show my girls how to walk through this life with grace and dignity, no matter what,” he wrote.
