Rebecca Gayheart has shared a “powerful moment” she experienced with her late husband Eric Dane shortly before his tragic death last month, leaving him “visibly emotional”.
In the weeks leading up to Dane’s death, the Grey’s Anatomy star lent his voice to a restoration project led by AI company Eleven Labs, whose goal was to use past recordings of Dane’s voice to create a synthetic replica of the actor’s voice.
Dane was “really excited about that, because he was losing his voice and it was becoming more and more difficult to communicate every day. So it felt kind of urgent,” Gayheart, 54, told Variety in an interview published Wednesday.
The actor’s participation was inspired by a last-ditch effort to leave something behind for his teenage daughters, Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14.
“He was anxiously waiting to hear it, and when he received it from Eleven Labs, it was a really big moment. It was a powerful moment. We played it, and Eric became visibly emotional,” Gayheart shared.
“And when I heard that, I cried, and I think everyone there cried, too.”
In conjunction with the project, the AI company also produced a documentary series titled “11 Voices,” in which Dane was reportedly set to star, along with a bonus episode.
However, he was ultimately unable to appear in the series due to worsening symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Instead, Gayheart will speak as part of a panel discussion related to the series’ SXSW premiere on March 13th.
“He wanted to advocate for love and the movement[around ALS]so I’m there to do this for him,” she explained.
“It’s a really big movement for a million people to have a voice to communicate with their children, their loved ones, their caregivers, their doctors, or their jobs.”
Regarding the actor’s death, Gayheart told the show that she and her family have been “still in shock” since his death. However, she reiterated her previous statement, thanking those who have shown support to her family over the years since Dane was diagnosed with ALS in 2024.
“I’m having a hard time receiving all the support and love that is coming to me from all directions because of all the time that Eric and the (entertainment) community have given me,” she said.
“They’ve been holding me and the girls for the last two weeks, and I don’t think they’re going anywhere. I think they’re in this for the long haul. Hollywood gets a bad rap, and that’s maddening in a way because we have a community of wonderful people, and I’m so thankful for them.”
Dane passed away on February 19th after battling ALS for about two years. He was 53 years old.
In a statement confirming the actor’s death, his family said at the time that he was “surrounded by dear friends, a devoted wife, and two beautiful daughters.”
On March 2, it was reported that Dane’s cause of death was respiratory failure.
