Grey’s Anatomy and Last Ship actor Eric Dane and his family are prioritizing professional support as they navigate life following his ALS diagnosis. The 52-year-old actor disclosed his ALS diagnosis in April, also known as motor neurone disease, in a statement to People. His wife, Rebecca Gayheart, mentioned at Step Up’s 2025 Inspiration Awards that she, along with their two daughters – Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, are adapting to their “new normal.”
During the event, Gayheart expressed, “We have engaged professional therapists to assist us, and we are striving to maintain hope and handle the situation with dignity, grace, and love. It’s truly heart-wrenching. My daughters are deeply affected, and we are just trying to cope with it. It’s a challenging period.”
In a statement addressing his diagnosis, Eric requested privacy for his family and himself during this time.
In a June interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, Eric reflected on the harsh reality of living with the illness, stating, “I wake up every day, and I’m immediately reminded that this is happening. It’s not a dream.”
Rebecca Gayheart, who tied the knot with Eric in 2004, filed for divorce in 2018 but the couple eventually reconciled. She shared with People, “I don’t believe I’m ready yet to find a silver lining. I’m not there yet. We are certainly dealing with a situation that has brought us closer together, and Eric will always be my family, whether we are married or not, or living together or not. Yes, we are more united, but we dislike the reason for it.”
“It’s a terrible disease, and I wish a cure existed. I hope they discover one soon because it is incredibly sad.”
Earlier this month, Eric announced a collaboration with the nonprofit I Am ALS, following a missed appearance at the 2025 Emmy awards where he was slated to present with fellow Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams. In a video message, he stated, “I’m Eric, an actor, a father, and now a person living with ALS. For over a century, ALS has remained incurable, and we refuse to accept the current situation. We demand the quickest route to a cure, which is why I have partnered with I Am ALS on the Push for Progress initiative. Our objective: raising a billion dollars over the next three years.”
He further mentioned, “Together, we will reform the Act for ALS law, provide promising treatments to thousands of patients like me, and ultimately, work towards eradicating this disease.”
The legislation, enacted in 2021 and set to expire in 2026, empowered the Department of Health and Human Services to finance treatments and directed the Food and Drug Administration to allocate resources towards finding a cure.
