Rebecca Gayheart stepped out in public for the first time since the death of estranged husband Eric Dane.
Gayheart, 54, attended the Los Angeles premiere of The Drama on Tuesday, March 17, bringing along daughters Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14, whom she shared with the late actor.
Posing for photos with her children on the film premiere’s red carpet, Gayheart, who separated from Dane in 2018 after 13 years of marriage, smiled softly for the cameras as she dazzled in a striped dress.
The public outing comes just under one month after the Grey’s Anatomy actor died on February 19 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 53 years old.
The former couple’s daughters appeared just as glamorous, with Dane and Gayheart’s eldest dressed in a two-piece white lace co-ord that flashed the teenager’s midriff. Georgia wore a form-fitting pink minidress that zipped in full down the front.
While Billie stood eloquently with a small purse in her two hands, Georgia kept an arm on her mom’s back as camera bulbs flashed.
Gayheart also posed for photos on her own, toting her own small handbag.
The public outing comes days after Gayheart spoke about her family maintaining a “state of shock” in the wake of Dane’s death. During an interview with Variety, published on Wednesday, March 11, the Jawbreaker star said, “I just want to thank everybody for being so kind to us during the last couple of years. It’s been challenging and meaningful, and people are kind.”
She expanded to the outlet, “I’m having trouble receiving all of the support and love coming at me from every which way because of Eric and the [entertainment] community that’s so generous with their time. They’ve been holding me and the girls up the last two weeks, and I don’t think they’re going anywhere. I think they’re in it for the long haul. Hollywood gets a bad rap. That kind of makes me mad, because we have a lovely community of people, and I’m so grateful for them.”
Gayheart, whose 2018 divorce filing from Dane was later withdrawn, also detailed how she and her daughters “signed off” on a tech company that utilized AI to digitally restore Dane’s voice before his death.
“We were thrilled to have it because we knew what was coming down the pike,” Gayheart said. “We were all really struggling with the voice loss that he was already experiencing. Knowing we had that in our back pocket, just felt really good. I’m sad, and I know Eric is too, that we didn’t ever get to really use it. But what I do know is that he would want as many people as possible to have access.”
Dane’s family announced his death on February 19, revealing he died just shy of one year after the actor went public with his ALS battle.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” his family confirmed to Us at the time. “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world. Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight.”
It continued, “He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received.”
