Actor Eric Dane, known for his role on Grey's Anatomy, died Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at age 53, following a battle with ALS, his representative confirmed. His wife, Rebecca Gayheart, 54, had withdrawn a long-standing divorce filing in March 2025, weeks before Dane publicly disclosed his ALS diagnosis in April 2025.
Gayheart, who married Dane in 2004 and filed for divorce in 2018, explained her decision to withdraw the filing in a November 2025 podcast appearance and a December 2025 essay, citing her commitment to her daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, and describing a bond with Dane she called a "familial love."
According to Parade, the story of Gayheart and Dane is, at its core, one about the quiet and often unglamorous work of holding a family together. The couple wed in 2004 and spent years in the public eye before Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018. Despite that filing, she later acknowledged they had been living separately for eight years.
Then, in March 2025, Gayheart made a decision that drew little immediate attention: she withdrew the divorce filing. That move came roughly one month before Dane publicly revealed his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. The timing raises questions, but Gayheart offered her own explanation months later.
Speaking on the Broad Ideas podcast with hosts Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen last November, Gayheart said the choice came down to the values she wanted to pass on to her daughters. For many families, that instinct to show up even in hard circumstances is simply what commitment looks like in practice.
"We tell them, 'We show up for people no matter what. He is our family. He is your father," Gayheart said on the podcast. "We will get through it the best we can." In an era when public figures often prioritize self over family, that kind of statement is worth pausing on.
She also acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, describing it as "super complicated" and admitting she was uncertain whether withdrawing the petition was the right call. "I'm just showing up and trying to be there for [my kids]. I guess time will tell," she said. Whatever anyone thinks of celebrity culture, that sentiment is fundamentally human.
In a December 2025 essay published in The Cut, Gayheart further clarified the nature of her relationship with Dane. She noted they "haven't lived in the same home for eight years," and described a bond in which their "love may not be romantic, but it's a familial love." That distinction matters, and she was clear about it.
While Gayheart navigated the personal dimensions of the situation, Dane lived his final months actively. Last June, he attended the red carpet premiere of his Amazon Prime series Countdown alongside filmmaker Janell Shirtcliff. Neither Dane nor Shirtcliff publicly confirmed any romantic relationship.
The appearance offered a glimpse of a man who, despite a serious diagnosis, remained engaged with his work and his life. Dane's willingness to continue publicly facing his illness reflects a kind of resolve that deserves acknowledgment, separate from the personal circumstances surrounding his marriage. His representative's statement upon his death captured the final chapter plainly and with dignity. The wording emphasized the people around him at the end — family, above all.
"With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS. 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."
The phrase "devoted wife" in the official statement carries weight. Whatever the legal and personal complexities of the previous years, Gayheart was present. For daughters Billie and Georgia, ages 15 and 13, that presence is something they will carry with them.
Gayheart's decision to set aside a years-long legal process and choose proximity over distance in the most difficult of circumstances is not a small thing. It reflects a set of priorities — family stability, parental modeling, presence in crisis — that many Americans across the political spectrum quietly admire, regardless of how Hollywood is typically portrayed.
Eric Dane was 53. He is survived by his wife and their two daughters. His death closes a chapter that, by any measure, ended the way Gayheart said she hoped it would: with family showing up, no matter what.