Rebecca Gayheart said she and her two daughters were with Eric Dane in the final days, hours, and minutes of his life, according to a new interview with People, as reported by ABC News.
At his side—and what he told their kids
“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 told People, per ABC News. She said Dane told their daughters he wanted to try to spend as much time as possible with them.
ALS diagnosis and a family plan
Gayheart recalled the day Dane called to share his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis: “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.”
She said they sought help from a family therapist and sat down together with daughters Billie and Georgia to share the news, according to ABC News’ account of the People interview.
Staying present through the last two years
Gayheart said the family focused on time together—sushi lunches, dance recitals, and movies—despite “fear and frustration and uncertainty.” She added, “It was truly an exhausting and heartbreaking experience but it also showed us his extraordinary strength every day.”
Mourning, context, and a memoir
ABC News reported Dane died in February following a battle with ALS. He was 53 and known for roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria. Despite separating after 14 years of marriage, Gayheart and Dane remained close, never divorced, and co-parented Billie and Georgia, according to ABC News.
ABC News also reported Dane’s upcoming posthumous book, “My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments,” is due out in November. In it, he writes, “We leave our marriage but we don’t leave our family,” and, 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 said she’s grateful he wrote the memoir because it gives their daughters “the opportunity to know him as a human being.”
