Rebecca Gayheart Says Headaches Preceded Eric Dane's ALS

Rebecca Gayheart said unusual headaches, a symptom her husband, actor Eric Dane, had never shown before, were the first sign of trouble ahead of his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive disease commonly known as ALS, in 2024, the actress told Drew Barrymore on Wednesday's episode of "Personal Spaces," according to Page Six.

What first ALS symptom did Rebecca Gayheart notice?

"He never once had a headache for all the years we were married or dated," the 55-year-old actress said, recalling that her husband began "complaining about" head pain a few months before the hand weakness that led to his diagnosis, Page Six reported.

Gayheart said she was skeptical when the headaches started: "I was like, 'Eric, you never get headaches. You've never taken an Advil. What are you talking about a headache? You don't have a headache,'" she recalled, per the outlet. Her husband initially attributed the pain to having "slept on [his] neck funny," she said.

"That continued," Gayheart said. "That was a part of it. So there were definitely signs, but nothing was so major that you would really stop and pay attention to it."

When was he diagnosed, and when did he die?

The "Grey's Anatomy" actor was diagnosed with ALS in 2024 and died in February at age 53, Page Six reported. He is survived by his and Gayheart's two daughters, Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14.

What did the actor describe as his own first symptom?

His posthumous memoir, "My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments," released Tuesday, points to a different early sign: trouble with his right hand at a sushi dinner. "Suddenly I can't work the chopsticks with my right hand," he wrote, according to Page Six. "My hand tingles, and then my fingers feel numb." He initially believed the sensation came from "texting too much," the memoir states.

Page Six noted the memoir elsewhere describes a moment during his illness when one of his daughters helped him in the water, though the outlet's report on Gayheart's interview did not detail that passage further. In a separate segment tied to the same interview series, Gayheart described the actor's decline before his death, saying "everything shifted," according to Page Six's coverage, as the memoir's release drew fresh attention to the family's account of his illness.

Were Gayheart and her husband still married?

Page Six referred to Gayheart as the actor's widow while also quoting her description of him as her "estranged husband." The outlet's report did not specify when the couple separated, and Gayheart's account suggests she remained closely involved in tracking his symptoms before the diagnosis.

By the numbers

• ALS diagnosis: 2024
• Death: February, at age 53
• Surviving daughters: Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14
• Gayheart's age at the time of the interview: 55
• Memoir release: Tuesday

Where did Gayheart make these comments?

Gayheart spoke on Drew Barrymore's talk show "Personal Spaces" in an episode that aired Wednesday, Page Six reported, with her remarks coming the same week the memoir reached shelves.