Eric Dane Detailed Deep Love for Rebecca Gayheart in Final Interview
Rebecca Gayheart is navigating her grief one day at a time.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum shared a message of thanks following the death of her estranged husband Eric Dane, who passed away Feb. 19 at age 53 after a lengthy battle with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
“I am so blown away by the outpouring of love and support from our community,” she wrote in an Instagram Stories post Feb. 22, alongside a collection of framed photos of herself and Eric. “There aren’t words to express our gratitude.”
Rebecca—mom to daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, with the Grey’s Anatomy alum—added, “You are truly holding us up during this difficult time.”
Despite filing for divorce from Eric in 2018, Rebecca, 54, remained legally married to the Euphoria star until his death. In fact, she recently detailed their unique dynamic, noting that they faced many highs and lows throughout their relationship.
“I care about him deeply,” she wrote in an essay for New York magazine’s The Cut in December. “We had a really lovely marriage for a long time—we were married for 15 years—we created two beautiful girls. But also, lots of s–t went crazy in our relationship, and it wasn’t good.”
Instagram Stories
“We separated, but we never got a divorce,” she continued. “We were about to and then didn’t. We haven’t lived in the same home for eight years; he’s dated other people, I’ve dated someone.”
While Eric and Rebecca parted ways romantically—he dated photographer Janell Shirtcliff prior to his passing, while she has been linked to Peter Morton—the model maintained a strong bond with her ex.
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
“It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people,” Rebecca acknowledged in the piece. “Our love may not be romantic, but it’s familial love. Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me.”
In fact, Rebecca made a point of supporting Eric through his ALS battle, in part to set an example for their kids.
“I am trying to show them that we show up for people no matter what,” she explained on the Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen podcast in November. “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. We will get through it the best we can.”
Keep reading for a closer look at Eric and Rebecca’s one-of-a-kind relationship…
Courtesy Chelsea Lauren
2003
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart have never revealed how they first connected, though Dane admitted it’s “probably one of the least interesting stories in the world.”
“It went basically like this: ‘You wanna go out?'” he recalled to Flaunt magazine in 2008. “‘Yeah, sure.’ Ten months later, we were married.”
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
October 2004
Less than one year after they began dating, the couple exchanged vows in Las Vegas.
Amy Graves/WireImage
May 2017
After Dane announced he was leaving the TNT drama The Last Ship due to his battle with depression, Gayheart took to Instagram to show her support for her husband.
“Way back when I met my Monday man crush,” Gayheart captioned a throwback photo of the couple.
JB Lacroix/WireImage
February 2018
Gayheart cited “irreconcilable differences” as the cause of the couple’s split and sought spousal support and joint legal and physical custody of their daughters Billie and Georgia when she filed for divorce.
“After 14 years together we have decided that ending our marriage is the best decision for our family,” the duo said in a joint statement to E! News at the time. “We will continue our friendship and work as a team to co-parent our two beautiful girls as they are the most important thing in the world to us.”
However, the divorce was never finalized, and Dane revealed that the pair were still friends and “great” co-parents when he told Entertainment Tonight in 2019, “We have two kids. It’s not complicated…it doesn’t have to be.”
Jason Merritt/Getty Images for GLAAD
August 2019
One decade after the couple made headlines when a nude video with former Miss Teen USA Kari Ann Peniche was published online, Dane addressed the scandal in a rare interview.
“I often think about that answer I gave. And looking back now, was it a mistake? Absolutely not,” he told Glamour of previously describing the incident as a misstep. “Three consenting adults, one of them being my wife? I wasn’t doing anything wrong.”
He added that his previous comments were “most likely referring to the drug use that was alluded to in the video.”
“And was that a mistake? Again, I don’t necessarily think I was breaking any laws and corrupting anybody,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum said. “We were just three people taking a bath.”
“I didn’t regret it, I have no regrets nor do I make any apologies for my life experience,” he concluded. “It’s my life experience and I’m at peace with all of it.”
After the tape was published in 2009, the couple was forced to take action, and as a result, Dane and Gayheart filed a $1 million copyright infringement against Gawker Media and reportedly settled for upwards of six-figures.
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
August 2022
The pair first sparked rumors of a reconciliation when they jetted off to Europe as a family of four. The Jawbreaker actress shared snaps from the trip showing Dane making a silly face at the camera with their girls.
“This is us,” Gayheart captioned the Instagram post. “Family vacay 2022.”
In a second pic from their European adventures, the foursome posed together with big smiles on the Parisian streets, as she wrote on the ‘gram, “A pit stop in Paris!”
The group then made their way across the coast to St. Tropez, with Gayheart documenting their journey on her Instagram Stories. “My people,” she captioned a snap of the fam with a friend.
JB Lacroix/WireImage
January 2023
While she filed for divorce in 2018, Dane and Gayheart kicked off the New Year as one big family.
The Euphoria actor and the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum were photographed walking hand-in-hand off a boat together during a vacation with their two daughters.
Instagram / Rebecca Gayheart
March 2025
Gayheart filed to dismiss her divorce petition, seven years after submitting the papers.
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