Rebecca Gayheart Reflects on Eric Dane's Final Week and Posthumous Memoir

Rebecca Gayheart spoke with NBC special correspondent Maria Shriver on TODAY about the final week of her husband Eric Dane, who died at 53 in February after a public battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The interview coincided with the release of Dane's posthumous memoir, My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments.

Gayheart, 55, said the family never expected the hospital visit to be the last. > "I said, ‘Listen, I’ll be back. I have a dinner. I’m going to this event.’ I had no idea that was it, that that week was going to be our last week," she told Shriver. She added that the shift became clear around the third day in the hospital when doctors' tone changed and more serious information was shared.

The actress recalled that Dane remained aware of his condition, communicating with the family despite limited speech. > "He was fully aware it was shifting, and he was still communicating with us," Gayheart said.

To bring comfort, Gayheart and their daughters, Billie (16) and Georgia (14), held a family sleepover in Dane's hospital room, using battery-operated candles and playing his favorite music. She described the experience as an effort to make the setting as pleasant as possible.

Gayheart also noted the emotional strain of making medical decisions, describing it as "decision fatigue," and said Dane chose how he wanted to approach his final days. > "He was in control of the way he was going to leave."

The conversation touched on Dane's decision to go public with his ALS diagnosis, his evolving perspective on life, and the family's adjustment after his death. Gayheart said the memoir captures moments from his life and the family's journey through his illness.