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Eric Dane detailed the early signs of his ALS diagnosis in his memoir, My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments, to be released nearly nine months after his death.
“I’m eating sushi with my kids and suddenly I can’t work the chopsticks with my right hand. My hand tingles, and then my fingers feel numb,” Dane wrote of his symptoms first showing up on January 7, 2024, per a book excerpt published by People on Sunday, October 18. “Some kind of weird nerve thing, I think. I shake it off. I’m probably texting too much. Three weeks later, it happens again, only worse. I can’t grip the chopsticks at all.”
After nine months seeking answers, Dane was diagnosed with ALS. The Euphoria actor immediately sought support from then-estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart. (Gayheart withdrew her petition for divorce amid Dane’s ALS battle, which he publicly confirmed in April 2025.)
“We were married for 14 years, grew apart, filed for divorce, but never got around to signing the papers,” he recalled in the book passage of Gayheart, now 55. “We’ve since stayed close, coparenting, going on vacations as a family, spending time together and now we talk every day. I say to Rebecca on the phone, ‘It’s what we feared.’ I don’t remember a single word I said after that.”
Dane continued, “I remember only feeling a violent impact, like getting the wind knocked out of me, and Rebecca wailing on the other end of the phone, and then I really lose it, and my sobs make my body shudder, and I hear her words pouring out amid her tears, ‘I’m here, we’ll fight this together, I’m not going anywhere.’”
Dane, who shared daughters Billie and Georgia with the Jawbreaker actress, immediately pledged to fight the disease.
“I’m going to take this on. I’m going to fight. I’m going to show my girls how to walk through this life with grace and dignity, no matter what,” he penned. “ I am going to FIGHT. This has become my purpose. My reason. This is now my job.”
Dane died in February at the age of 53.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum’s family said in a statement shared with Us. “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.”
My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments will be released Tuesday, November 3.
