Beloved actor Eric Dane passed away last week after battling ALS. He had been very open about what life with the devastating disease was like. Although he noticed symptoms early on, his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, reveals she saw two specific signs that something was wrong even before his diagnosis.
Eric Dane, known as the beloved Dr. Mark Sloan — “McSteamy” — on Grey’s Anatomy, passed away on February 19. He had undergone a 10‑month battle with ALS, which he was diagnosed with in April of last year.
In a statement to People Magazine, Eric Dane’s family shared that the actor passed away on February 19. He is survived by his two daughters and his wife, Rebecca Gayheart.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” the family’s statement read. “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.”
Eric Dane had been very outspoken about his ALS diagnosis. In addition to focusing on his daughters, he dedicated his time to raising awareness and funds for ALS research.
Eric Dane dead at 53
In June, during an appearance on Good Morning America, the actor revealed the first symptoms he experienced. At first, he didn’t think much of them.
“I started experiencing some weakness in my right hand, and I didn’t really think anything of it at the time,” Dane explained. “I thought maybe I had been texting too much or my hand was fatigued. But a few weeks later I noticed it had gotten a little worse, so I went and saw a hand specialist, and he sent me to another hand specialist.”
Dane continued, “I went and saw a neurologist, and they sent me to another neurologist and said this is way above [his] pay grade.”
As soon as he was diagnosed with ALS, he called his wife, Rebecca Gayheart. Although they don’t live together, they are still legally married.
She had filed for divorce in 2018, but shortly before Eric’s diagnosis became public, she withdrew it. Appearing on the Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen podcast, Gayheart explained why the divorce never went through.
Gayheart said she wanted to set an example for her daughters, teaching them to support others no matter what has happened.
“And he is our family, he is your father. We show up and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it, and that we will get through it the best we can,” she said. “I mean, it’s super complicated for me.”
Eric Dane’s widow Rebecca Gayheart reveals early signs she noticed before his diagnosis
While Eric Dane noticed early symptoms, it appears Rebecca Gayheart may have noticed them even earlier. In an essay for The Cut, she recalled how Eric showed early signs of ALS, such as struggling to use his chopsticks and dropping food.
“His symptoms started maybe a year prior. When we would have a meal with the kids, he’d say things like, ‘Something’s wrong with my hand,’” she wrote. “He was struggling to use his chopsticks, dropping his food. That was when he started seeing doctors. He was initially diagnosed with a few other things, but he had this sinking feeling that it was something more serious.”
She initially believed it wasn’t anything serious. Sadly, it was.
“When he told me that day, he just started weeping, as did I,” Gayheart recalled. “It didn’t feel real because he was still okay.”
She continued, “I was here at home with my youngest daughter — my home that I share with just the girls, since Eric and I separated in September 2017 — and I’d gone into my closet to take the call, trying to be private. She was saying, ‘Mommy, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?’ I tried telling her, ‘Honey, nothing. Everything’s fine,’ because I couldn’t process it. I didn’t know all the details like I do now, but I knew enough about ALS to know that there wasn’t a cure.”
Rest in peace, Eric Dane. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.
