Eric Dane’s public announcement of an ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) diagnosis in April 2025 came just weeks after his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, had filed to dismiss their divorce. The couple who had been separated for seven years never finalized their split as Gayheart chose to remain legally married to the late actor.
As reported by Bored Panda, the Grey’s Anatomy star passed away on February 19, 2026, at the age of 53. His passing came ten months after sharing his diagnosis. Dane and Gayheart share two daughters, Billie and Georgia.
Rebecca Gauheart revealed her reasons behind why she withdrew from her divorce with Eric Dane
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Gayheart first filed for divorce in February 2018 after 13 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
“After 14 years together, we have decided that ending our marriage is the best decision for our family,” Dane said in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.
Though they separated, the two maintained an amicable co-parenting relationship. The divorce, however, lingered in legal limbo for seven years despite receiving warnings from the court.
On March 6, 2025, Gayheart formally requested to dismiss the petition without prejudice, and she and Dane signed off on the documents..
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One month later, Dane confirmed that he had been diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative nervous system disease that progressively robs patients of muscle control and has no cure.
Addressing her reasoning for dismissing the divorce, Gayheart spoke on the Board Ideas podcast in November 2025, stating, “We tell them, ‘We show up for people no matter what. He is our family. He is your father,’” she said of her daughters.
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“We show up, and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it the best we can.”
She further noted that the decision was not simple. “It’s super complicated for me,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m doing it well or in the wrong way or right way. I’m just showing up and trying to be there for them. I guess time will tell.”
The 54-year-old emphasized that her focus remained on ensuring Billie and Georgia felt secure, “even though things are hard and sad and bad.
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart’s relationship shifted from romance to “familial love” long before his diagnosis
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The couple tied the knot in October 2004 in Las Vegas, less than a year into dating.
He opened up about the early days of their romance to Flaunt magazine in 2008, “It’s probably one of the least interesting stories in the world. It went basically like this: ‘You wanna go out?’ ‘Yeah, sure.’ Ten months later, we were married.”
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Despite dissolving the divorce, Gayheart also clarified that the reconciliation did not mean a rekindled romance.
In a December 2025 essay for The Cut, she wrote, “Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love.”
The couple had not lived under the same roof for eight years. During their separation, both dated other people. Gayheart was linked to businessman Peter Morton, while Dane was photographed with actress Priya Jain in 2025.
Despite dating other people, the couple spent significant time with each other and their daughters
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Gayheart revealed that she and her girls spent significant time at Dane’s home, which was just a 12-minute drive away.
“We have a lot of meals together. We do a lot of drop-by visits — well, I don’t just drop by. I always call and say, ‘I’m coming up the hill,’” she wrote.
As Dane’s health continued to decline, Gayheart also stepped in during gaps in his nursing care.
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“So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that,” she said. “That’s the right thing to do.”
Gayheart also lauded their prior relationship before his diagnosis, stating, “It’s just a season,” she told E! News in April 2025. “It wasn’t a failure. It was a huge success.”
The Euphoria star faced ALS publicly and became an advocate before his passing at 53
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Best known for playing Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy and Cal Jacobs on Euphoria, Dane continued working after his diagnosis.
In June 2025, he told Good Morning America that he had already lost function in his right arm and feared further progression.
“I’m angry,” he admitted, reflecting on losing his own father at a young age. “There’s a very good chance I’m going to be taken from my girls while they’re very young.”
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Yet he used his platform to advocate for research funding, joined the board of Target ALS in December 2025, and raised awareness through interviews and public appearances.
“This disease takes something from me every day. But I won’t let it take my spirit,” he wrote in one of his final public statements.
Dane’s family shared a statement after his demise, which occurred on the 20th anniversary of his first appearance as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS. He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” the actor’s family said in a statement to PEOPLE.
‘I think it’s so lovely of her to be by his side and care for him and withdraw divorce papers,” wrote one netizen
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