Eric Dane’s ex-girlfriend Priya Jain has opened up about her grief over the late actor’s death at age 53 following a battle with ALS.
“I’m processing,” Jain, 28, told TMZ outside West Hollywood hotspot The Abbey on Friday, March 13,
When asked to share her favorite memory with Dane, Jain replied, “All of them!”
“Eric was a great guy … I’m glad his kids are there to keep his legacy alive,” she added. “He was a great guy. It’s just awful.”
Dane’s family confirmed on February 19 that the former Grey’s Anatomy star had died nearly a year after publicly announcing his ALS diagnosis. (Per the Mayo Clinic, ALS is a “nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord,” causing a progressive loss of muscle control over time.)
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” his family told Us Weekly in a statement 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.”
The statement went on, “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. 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. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time.”
Us exclusively reported on February 24 that Jain made a $10,000 donation to a GoFundMe fundraiser started by “friends of the Dane family,” which lists his wife Rebecca Gayheart as his “Beneficiary.” The fundraiser has raised more than $489,000 for Dane’s family, as of publication. (Dane and Gayheart separated in February 2018 but never followed through with a divorce. Dane was dating filmmaker and photographer Janell Shirtcliff at the time of his death, while Gayheart has been spotted with billionaire Peter Morton in recent years.)
Jain — an actress who costarred with Josh Duhamel in the 2025 movie Not Without Hope — was with Dane for nearly a year, after initially being linked in November 2024. Us confirmed in February that the exes were on good terms at the time of Dane’s death.
“In the months leading up to Eric’s passing Priya and Eric reconnected their relationship as friends,” a source told Us. “It was more important for them to remain friends [following their split].”
Us learned that Priya didn’t think Dane’s death “would happen this quickly” since he only went public with his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. An insider shared that Priya had “so much love” for Dane following his diagnosis and she “knows how hard this is for his daughters.”
“She has a lot of love for his family,” the source added.
Earlier this week, Dane’s wife Gayheart, 54, admitted that her family was still in “a state of shock” over losing him.
“It’s been challenging and meaningful, and people are kind,” she told Variety on Wednesday, March 11. “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.”
Gayheart went on, “[Friends and family have] 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.”
