Eric Dane struggled to use chopsticks during dinner before ALS diagnosis, memoir reveals
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Eric Dane initially thought the strange feeling in his right hand was nothing serious. The late 'Grey’s Anatomy' actor later learned that it was an early sign of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
In his posthumous memoir, 'My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments', Dane recalled the moment he first noticed something was wrong and how the symptoms became harder to ignore. The incident happened while he was having dinner with his daughters, Billie and Georgia, months before he received his diagnosis.
Eric Dane struggled to use chopsticks during dinner with his daughters
Dane recalled that the first incident happened on January 7, 2024, while he was eating sushi with his daughters. He suddenly found himself struggling to use chopsticks with his right hand.
“I’m eating sushi with my kids and suddenly I can’t work the chopsticks with my right hand,” he wrote in an excerpt of his memoir. “and then my fingers feel numb.” At first, Dane tried to dismiss the problem, believing it might have been caused by overusing his hand or spending too much time texting.
Eric Dane revealed his first symptom of ALS in his posthumous memoir "My Book of Days," sharing it occurred while he was having dinner with his family in January 2024, months before he was diagnosed. https://t.co/ik5tdd7u1T https://t.co/CY9SDLfl8I
— E! News (@enews) October 24, 2026
However, the symptom returned three weeks later and was more severe than before. “Three weeks later, it happens again, only worse,” Dane recalled. “I can’t grip the chopsticks at all.”
The problem prompted him to seek medical help. He consulted San Francisco neurologist Dr Mark Terrelonge, who later contacted him with the news they had feared. Dane's diagnosis marked the beginning of a difficult chapter in his life as he tried to understand what the disease would mean for him and his family.
Eric Dane recalled Rebecca Gayheart's emotional reaction to his ALS diagnosis
In his memoir, Dane also described the devastating moment he shared his diagnosis with his estranged wife, Rebecca Gayheart. The couple married in 2004 and had two daughters together. Although Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018, she withdrew the filing in March 2025, and the two remained close.
Dane recalled how Gayheart reacted when he told her the news. “I don't remember a single word I said after that,” he wrote, describing the emotional impact of the conversation.
He remembered breaking down in tears while Gayheart cried on the other end of the phone. Amid their tears, she reassured him, “I'm here, we'll fight this together, I'm not going anywhere.”
Eric Dane announced his ALS diagnosis in April 2025
Dane publicly announced his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. He later spoke openly about his experience, hoping to raise awareness and help others facing the disease.
The actor died on February 19, 2026, at the age of 53. His memoir, 'My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments', is scheduled to be released on November 3, offering readers a more personal account of his life and experiences.
