Janell Shirtcliff Honors Eric Dane With Emotional Public Tribute After His Passing

She added, “We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years, and we had two beautiful kids, so I think that’s a successful relationship, and that’s how we look at it.”

The very next day, Dane publicly announced his ALS diagnosis.

A Relationship Without a Simple Label

In December 2025, Gayheart gave the fullest picture yet of what their relationship actually looked like. By then, they had lived apart for eight years. Both had dated other people. And yet the bond between them had never fully dissolved.

She described it plainly:

“We separated, but we never got a divorce; we were about to and then we didn’t. We haven’t lived in the same home for eight years; he’s dated other people, I’ve dated someone. It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love.”

His Biggest Supporter

When Dane called Gayheart from a doctor’s office in San Francisco to tell her he had ALS, she was at home with their youngest daughter. She described the moment as devastating — the two wept together over the phone. In her essay, Rebecca also recalled Eric exhibiting early symptoms of the disease, such as struggling to use his chopsticks while eating and dropping food.

In the months that followed, she became his most consistent source of support. Dane said as much himself in a June 2025 interview, calling her his biggest champion and the person he leaned on most. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents,” he said.

He also walked his first red carpet since his diagnosis that same month, this time with Shirtcliff at the Los Angeles premiere of “Countdown” on June 18, 2025.