Eric Dane's Ex-Wife Shares Update on His ALS Diagnosis, Needs 24/7 Care

Actor Eric Dane has gained quite a large fanbase over the span of his career. From making people swoon (and then sob) as the beloved McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy, to finding a foothold with a whole new generation of television fans on HBO's Euphoria, the actor has a loyal following.

However, none of those cheerleaders are as passionate about Dane as his estranged wife, Rebecca Gayheart, who has stood by her ex's side since he announced his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis.

And while Gayheart has pressed pause on the former couple's official divorce proceedings, she hasn't ever stopped loving or taking care of him. That's why she is the perfect person to give fans an update on Eric Dane's ALS status, which she did in a heartbreaking personal essay.

It sounds like Dane's condition is progressing quite quickly now, and all that is left is for his family to rally behind him as he enters the next chapter of the illness, which will ultimately take his life.

In a breathtaking essay published by The Cut, the actress shares how she's taking care of Dane even though the pair are no longer a couple. Instead, she calls him a member of her family, as she shares how she's been forced to go to bat for her ex as she fights with insurance companies to make sure the Grey's alum is receiving the level of care he requires at this point in his diagnosis.

According to the 54-year-old, that includes around-the-clock supervision and care.

“Eric has 24/7 nurses now," she wrote, as she revealed how she has had to spend hours on the phone with his insurance company fighting with them after they've denied prior requests. Ultimately, it sounds like it took several appeals before they would approve the 24/7 in-home care, and even then, Gayheart says she has to step in and cover shifts when nobody else is available.

“There are times that shifts aren’t covered, so I cover them. There was a 12-hour shift recently that I could not cover. I could only do four hours because of all the stuff that the kids are doing,” she said in reference to the couple's two daughters.

The heartbreaking update about Dane's decline comes just months after he announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS, which he did in April 2025 via People magazine.

ALS is a disorder of the nervous system that causes people to lose control of their muscles. The progressive disease is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the baseball player was famously diagnosed with it. According to the Mayo Clinic, ALSO can first present with something as simple as muscle twitching and weakness in the extremities before it progresses to a point where you can no longer breathe or speak.

There is no known cure for ALS, and it is always fatal.