Eric Dane’s widow, Rebecca Gayheart, is continuing to champion causes close to the late actor’s heart following his death.
“You might remember Eric’s work for @iamalsorg,” Gayheart, 55, wrote via Instagram on Friday, September 11. “He worked hard to raise awareness for the ACT for ALS Bill, which could provide $500 million for ALS research, treatment access and hope for families battling this disease.”
Sharing a link to the I Am ALS petition, Gayheart encouraged her social media followers to sign their names in support of the cause.
“Please help us make sure that Congress does not continue to delay the passing of this bill,” she stated. “Click the link to sign the petition or share it with a friend. We have until Sunday to get as many signatures as we can. Getting this passed would mean the world to my family.”
Dane died in February at the age of 53 after a one-year battle with ALS.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” the actor’s family said in a statement shared with Us, announcing Dane’s death. “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 obituary added, “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always. 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.”
Dane was married to the Jawbreakers actress from 2004 to 2018, during which period they welcomed two daughters. Gayheart later withdrew her petition for divorce in 2025 after Dane was diagnosed with ALS.
“We’re still best friends, but we’re not together. We still love each other deeply,” Dane recalled of his dynamic with Gayheart in his posthumous Famous Last Words interview, released on Netflix hours after his death. “I just think we don’t want to live with each other, but there’s a lot of love there.”
He added at the time, “I will never, by the time anybody sees this, have fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca. She’s the mother of my children. I think Rebecca was more willing to show up and do her part than I was. I don’t have that gene [that] just makes you want to keep going regardless of what’s happening. I’m like, ‘If there’s a hole in the boat, don’t try to patch the hole. Scuttle the damn thing and go find a new one.’ … Rebecca’s a fighter and she perseveres.”
