Beloved ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Eric Dane has passed away at 53 after a year-long battle with ALS. His ex-wife, Rebecca Gayheart, remained a steadfast presence, supporting him through his diagnosis and until his final moments. The couple, married for 14 years, shared two daughters and had recently reconciled after a divorce filing.

Eric Dane, best known for his role in the long-running medical drama ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, has passed away at the age of 53. He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, almost a year ago, and had been vocal about his journey with the disease. Through his diagnosis, other than his two daughters, his ex-wife, Rebecca Gayheart, has been at the forefront. Here is a look into the couple’s relationship as well as the actor’s personal life and family.

A timeline of Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane’s relationship

The couple met for the first time around 2003-2004, and ended up getting married within 10 months of meeting one another. In an old interview with Flaunt magazine, the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ actor had opened up about how they started going out and how spontaneous it was. He shared, “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.”6 years into their marriage, Gayheart and Dane welcomed their eldest daughter, Billie on March 3, 2010. More than a year later, on December 28, 2011, they welcomed their second daughter, Georgia.Their relationship had not been without its own set of ups and downs, as in 2018, Gayheart had officially filed for divorce from the ‘Dangerous Waters’ actor. The two had decided to part ways after spending almost 14 years together in marriage. However, even while the divorce was filed, there had been no court case about the matter.7 years after the filing, Gayheart announced that she is taking her petition back about the divorce, and that the couple had reconciled. This happened in March 2025. Over the 7 years that they were not together, the two celebs continued to equally co-parent their children.

Eric Dane’s official diagnosis of ALS

A month after announcing that the two had chosen to stay together, Eric Dane revealed to the world that he had recently been diagnosed with ALS. The news had sent shockwaves across the industry as well as amongst fans. Rebecaa had chosen to stay by his side through it all, and was with him until his passing on February 19. In an interview with E! News last year, only a day after Dane made his diagnosis public, the ‘Jawbreaker’ actress revealed that they are powering through. She stated that “We are great co-parents. I think it’s important to not look at a relationship that ends as a failure. It’s just a season. It wasn’t a failure. It was a huge success.”

What is ALS?

As per the Cleveland Clinic, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a “neurodegenerative disease that targets the nerve cells (neurons) in your brain and spinal cord. It affects your muscle control. Symptoms worsen over time. Although there’s no cure, treatments are constantly improving. The right combination may slow the progression of the disease and improve your quality of life. On average, the life expectancy after an ALS diagnosis is three to five years.”