Eric Dane's Dying Declaration And 'Famous Last Words' Revealed

Eric Dane reassured his estranged wife in the final interview before he passed away from ALS yesterday.

The actor sat down in a candid interview featured on Netflix, which he instructed to be released when he passes away, where he touched on several topics, including battling with addiction, his sickness, and his marriage to Rebecca Gayheart.

Eric Dane shared his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) early last year after he began experiencing symptoms in 2024. By June 2025, he had fully lost control of the use of his right arm and hand.

In the documentary, he was asked to describe the essence of his love affair and marriage to Gayheart. He affirmed that they still love each other deeply and the feelings never left, but they just could not see eye to eye when it came to living with each other. In his words:

"By the time anybody sees this, I will have never fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca. She is the mother of my children, and the whole way that thing came about, it was so organic and torturous."

He recalled meeting Gayheart and telling her friend he was going to marry her, and he was serious about it, although his wife had a fiancé at the time whom she had known since she was 15.

Four years after that day, Dane explained in his "Famous Last Words" interview that he indeed married her, and he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

As 2025 wrapped up, Dane shared that the special moments in his life will remain documented in a memoir titled "Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments." The Blast noted that the actor explained that the memoir will urge readers to reflect on their lives and cherish the moments that truly matter.

The book was slated to be published by Maria Shriver's imprint, The Open Field, which was beyond honored to convey the actor's story to a larger audience.

In his statement, Dane explained that he wants to capture the moments that shaped him, including the beautiful days, the difficult ones, and the special moments he took for granted. The actor continued that if his stories help someone find meaning in their own days, then he has served his purpose.

The movie star did enjoy his last days in the company of those he held dear to his heart, including his estranged wife, their kids, and his friends. He passed away on February 19, as his family confirmed, earlier stating that they honored his wish to end his watch whilst being surrounded by the people closest to him.

Gayheart and Dane had decided to call off their divorce following his diagnosis, which meant they were merely separated until he died. He also had his family in mind when writing the memoir, according to Shriver, who revealed that he wanted his loved ones to know how much he cared.

The memoir will cover meaningful points in his life, such as the birth of his two daughters, his first day on the set of "Grey's Anatomy," his sobriety journey, and the day he learned of his ALS diagnosis.

Since his diagnosis, Dane has dedicated time and resources to ALS advocacy, which earned him a spot on the roll call of honorees at the ALS Network's Champions for Cures and Care Gala, held on January 24, 2026.

Unfortunately, Dane pulled out of the event just hours before it began due to the crushing physical toll of ALS, according to his statement. As reported by The Blast, he, however, thanked everyone involved in the gala and advocacy of ALS in his pre-recorded video, stating that he is beyond hopeful that humanity will conquer the disease.

Last year, he was also absent at the Emmy Awards, where he was due to present alongside his "Grey's Anatomy" co-star, Jesse Williams. He later revealed that he suffered a nasty fall in the kitchen and was in the hospital getting stitches while the awards took place.

ALS, according to Mayo Clinic, is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control and progressively gets worse as time goes on.

The duo got married in October 2004 and separated after 14 years together in 2018, until they dismissed their divorce filing in March 2025. In a post on The Cut, Gayheart shared that she met him in 2003 and has never stopped caring about him.

She revealed that they had a very lovely marriage, which witnessed the birth of their two children, before things went awry. She admitted that they do share a very complicated relationship, which may be a bit confusing to people on the outside.

Despite these layers, Gayheart emphasized that she would not trade their love, whether romantic or otherwise, for anything because it has felt so familial and will involve her doing the best for Dane at all times.

May Eric Dane continue to rest in peace!