Eric Dane’s widow Rebecca Gayheart shares heartrending family photos after his ALS death at 53
Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane’s widow, shared a series of family photos following his death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on Thursday at the age of 53.
In Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. The 53-year-old Dane, who rose to fame with his role as Mark Sloan aka ‘McSteamy’, announced less than a year ago that he had been diagnosed with the disease, colloquially known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in America.
The rare, untreatable degenerative condition deteriorates the nervous system over time, causing muscles to become increasingly paralyzed.
Although Dane split from Gayheart in 2017, they maintained close ties while raising daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, and never finalized the divorce; They canceled it entirely right before Dane revealed he had ALS.
Gayheart remained a strong source of support for him amid his final decline, even though they continued to date other people, and revealed in her final interview, released posthumously for Netflix, that they still loved each other ‘deeply’.
Now she’s giving fans a series of glimpses into their lives with their daughters, from their time in love to their lives as devoted co-parents.
Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane’s widow, shared a series of family photos following his death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on Thursday at the age of 53.
One photo showed Gayheart and Dane happily lounging with toddler Billie in the early years of their relationship.
Another was when Dane celebrated one of his later birthdays with two cakes, with Gayheart and her daughters lovingly gathered around him.
One photo showed Gayheart and Dane happily lounging with toddler Billie in the early years of their relationship.
Another was when Dane celebrated one of his later birthdays with two cakes, with Gayheart and her daughters lovingly gathered around him.
Gayheart and Dane were photographed as a beaming young couple in front of their Christmas tree, one of their little girls cradled in her mother’s arms.
Dane’s friends set up a GoFundMe to provide for their daughter following her death, and by Saturday morning more than $183,000 of the $250,000 goal had been raised.
A source has revealed that Johnny Depp is trying to ‘ease the financial burden’ by letting Dane stay at one of his homes during his ALS battle.
‘He was living virtually rent-free in one of Johnny’s houses above the Sunset Strip. The source told Eric to pay whatever he could or couldn’t afford for rent. Page SixAs a result, he added, Dane has ‘one less thing to worry about’.
he had He regressed sharply after his diagnosis, uses a wheelchair, lost his right arm and appeared in public last month citing the ‘physical realities’ his illness forced him to confront.
Nevertheless, Dane, whose most recent work includes playing the father of Jacob Elordi’s character in Euphoria, insisted on continuing acting as recently as December.
Gayheart and Dane were photographed as a beaming young couple in front of their Christmas tree, one of their little girls cradled in her mother’s arms.
In Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. The 53-year-old Dane, who gained fame for his role as Mark Sloan, aka ‘McSteamy’, announced that he was diagnosed with the disease less than a year ago.
He secretly recorded a final message for his daughters’ Netflix special called Famous Last Words: Eric Dane, which will air after his death.
“Billie and Georgia, these words are for you: I tried,” he said, speaking directly to the camera, before admitting: “I stumbled sometimes, but I tried.”
She urged her daughters to “live in the moment” and said she was “lost in my head for long periods of time, wallowing in anxiety, self-pity, shame and doubt.”
“I still have my brain and I still have my speech,” he said during a virtual panel for IAMALS.org. ‘I will not give up my goal for the sake of some diseases.’
He secretly recorded a final message for his daughters’ Netflix special called Famous Last Words: Eric Dane, which will air after his death.
‘Billie and Georgia, these words are for you: I tried. “I stumbled sometimes, but I tried,” he said, speaking directly to the camera. ‘Overall we had a lot of fun, didn’t we?’
Dane then shared four lessons he’s learned throughout his life that he wants to pass on to his daughters before he dies.
‘First of all, live now, in this moment, in the present. “It’s hard, but I’ve learned to do it,” he said. ‘For years I wandered mentally, lost in my head for long periods of time, wallowing in anxiety, self-pity, shame and doubt. I repeated decisions, second-guessing myself. “I shouldn’t have done this. I should never have done this.”‘
However, he ultimately declared: ‘No more’, describing this change of mindset as a decision he made ‘for pure survival’.
She encouraged her daughters to “fall in love,” adding, “Not necessarily with one person, but I encourage that as well,” and explained what she meant: “Find your passion, your joy.”
His third quote was to ‘choose your friends wisely’, ‘find your people, let them find you, and then give yourself to them’.
His fourth and final advice was to ‘fight with every fiber of your being and with dignity’, because ‘I hope I have shown that you can face anything’.
He added: ‘Second, fall in love. It doesn’t have to be with one person, but I recommend it too. But fall in love with something,’ Dane said.
Explaining that he had discovered acting at around his daughters’ age, he said: ‘Find your passion, your joy. Find what makes you want to get up in the morning.’
His third quote was to ‘choose your friends wisely’, ‘find your people and let them find you, and then give yourself to them’, because ‘the best of them will repay you’. There is no judgment. No conditions. No questions were asked.”
She shared her gratitude to her friends who “came to the fore” when she got sick, and called on her daughters to “Just come.” And love your friends with everything you have. Hold on to them. ‘They will entertain you, guide you, support you and some of them will save you.’
His fourth and final advice was to ‘fight with every fiber of your being and your dignity’. Fight when you face challenges, health or otherwise.’
Dane told Billie and Georgia: ‘Never give up. Fight until your last breath. This disease is slowly taking my body, but it will never take my soul. So when the unexpected hits you, and it will, because this is life, face it with honesty, integrity and grace, even when it seems insurmountable.’
The San Francisco-born actor’s voice cracked as he thought: ‘I hope I’ve shown that you can face anything. You may face the end of your days. You can face hell with dignity. Fight the girls and keep your head up.’
“Billie and Georgia, you are my heart,” he concluded. You are my everything. Goodnight. I love you. ‘These are my last words.’
