Eric Dane's Wife Rebecca Gayheart's Last Instagram Of Him Is So Sad Now

After years dealing with ALS, Eric Dane, the actor best known for playing Dr. Mark Sloan on the medical series "Grey's Anatomy," died on February 19, 2026, at age 53. His family confirmed the news in a statement to People, saying Dane "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." Dane first revealed his ALS diagnosis to the public in April 2025. He was married to fellow actor Rebecca Gayheart from 2004 until his passing, though the two had been separated since 2018.

With the news, Gayheart's final Instagram post with Dane suddenly seems so heartbreaking now. In 2022, she posted a pic with Dane and their two girls during a family trip to Europe. "A pit stop in Paris !" Gayheart's caption read. Despite being separated, she and Dane never stopped being friends and were co-parents to daughters Billie and Georgia. For a while, it seemed like they might get back together after the two put their divorce proceedings on hold and were even spotted holding hands in Mexico. But Gayheart insisted they were better off as friends. "We are really close," the actor told E! News. "We really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well."

She also supported Dane throughout his battle with ALS. "Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I'm going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me," Gayheart told The Cut. "So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that." 

Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart married in 2004 in Las Vegas after less than a year of dating. They never really shared the story of how they met, but according to Dane, it all happened rather fast. "It's probably one of the least interesting stories in the world," the "Euphoria" star told Flaunt in 2008 (via People. "It went basically like this: 'You wanna go out?' 'Yeah, sure.' Ten months later, we were married."

They welcomed their first child, Billie, in spring 2010, and their second, Georgia, in late 2011. Seven years later, the couple announced they were going their separate ways after 14 years of marriage. They refused to go into detail regarding their split and why they never followed through with their divorce. "[L]ots of s**t went crazy in our relationship, and it wasn't good," Gayheart told The Cut. "We separated, but we never got a divorce... [H]e's dated other people, I've dated someone. It's a very complicated relationship, one that's confusing for people," she admitted.

And even though it seemed like they were getting along perfectly, that wasn't the case initially. Gayheart acknowledged sometime in 2019 that it took a while for them to find their rhythm. "[I]t hasn't been easy... [but] I think we're doing a pretty good job of it," Gayheart told People. At the time, she seemed optimistic that things would work themselves out, saying, "The good news is my kids are happy and healthy... Life is just good. There are so many exciting things happening."