Eric Dane‘s posthumous memoir reveals new details about his initial diagnosis before doctors discovered he had ALS.
“First, I saw a hand specialist, who passed me off to another hand specialist, who sent me to a neurologist,” Dane wrote in My Book of Days, published Tuesday, November 3. “In my head, I minimized the symptoms, even though I was gradually losing any use of my right hand.”
According to Dane, the neurologist suspected he “had contracted some form of neuropathy,” but the doctor claimed, “This is way above my pay grade,” and sent him elsewhere.
The second neurologist, however, wasn’t able to give the actor an answer. Dane “intensified the search,” saying he was “driven by my family and my need to know” what was going on with his health.
“I shuttled from doctor to doctor and underwent a battery of tests, including one called an EMG, an electromyography test,” he wrote, recalling how he was “stabbed” over and over with “a needle that shot electrical currents through every muscle in my body.”
Eventually, Dane was given “a diagnostic consensus” of multifocal motor neuropathy. The Grey’s Anatomy alum described the treatable condition as “a rare autoimmune disorder causing extreme muscle weakness.”
Dane was thankful to have an answer — and one with a treatment that he noted was “90 percent effective.” When his body “didn’t respond to the treatment,” he said all of his doctors “got scared.”
The Euphoria star then went back to his primary care physician, who gave him a “grim” update. “We’ve been discussing ALS. But we have to wait and see,” the doctor told Dane.
Dane proceeded to undergo even more tests, including a lumbar puncture, spinal fluid extraction and brain scans. Without an official diagnosis, Dane felt “frustrated and fed up.”
Nine months went by before Dane finally got confirmation in late 2024 that he had ALS.
“I know what the letters mean. I’ve prepared myself for at least that much. … I know I’m facing a death sentence,” he wrote. “My life has become a horror movie.”
Dane was with his brother and cousin when he heard the news. He later called ex Rebecca Gayheart, with whom he shared daughters Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14. Though he and Gayheart, 55, were separated during his health battle, Dane called her his “rock” and “unwavering” champion.
The Valentine’s Day actor went public with his diagnosis in April 2025, roughly 18 months after he began noticing symptoms. By June 2025, Dane could no longer use his right arm. He died less than one year later at the age of 53.
“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. … He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always,” read a statement from his family in February. “Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”
My Book of Days is available now.
