Rebecca Gayheart and her family were particularly emotional when they heard an artificial intelligence recreation of late Eric Dane’s voice.
“He just had a lot of personality, and this voice captured that so perfectly,” Gayheart, 54, said during a Fast Company SXSW panel on Friday, March 13, per social media footage. “It sounded so real. It was a really emotional moment for us as a family, and for the nurses who were helping and his friends.”
Us Weekly confirmed in February that Dane died at the age of 53 after battling ALS. The Grey’s Anatomy alum is survived by his two daughters, Billie and Georgia, whom he shared with Gayheart.
Just weeks before his death, Dane participated in a voice restoration project backed by AI firm ElevenLabs.
“Shortly before he passed, Eric used ElevenLabs’ voice restoration technology to recreate his voice,” a statement on the organization’s website reads. “Hearing his restored voice meant his daughters would always be able to hear their father as he truly sounded. Eric became an early champion of our 1 Million Voices initiative, driven by a desire to ensure that others facing permanent voice loss could access the same technology.”
ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurological disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal control. It affects muscle control and voice loss, and there is presently no cure.
After the ElevenLabs project was complete, Gayheart, her kids, as well as Dane’s friends and colleagues were particularly moved by the outcome.
“We were all blown away by how … human it sounded,” the Jawbreakers actress noted on Friday, detailing her reaction to the AI voice. “It sounded just like him. I think the hope that it gave Eric because he was experiencing voice loss was exciting and really great to see.”
Dane publicly revealed in April 2025 that he was diagnosed with ALS, which quickly affected his motor skills.
“I’ve always had a sense of humor about this,” Dane said of his diagnosis in a Famous Last Words interview that aired on Netflix hours after his death last month. “It’s really kind of interesting what’s happening to my body. The mechanics of this disease is pretty interesting to me. It’s when you zoom in and look at how it affects the individual moments is when it can actually bring you down a little bit.”
Despite his health battle, Dane tried to always look on the bright side.
“My spirit has been surprisingly pretty buoyant through this journey,” he said. “I have no idea, there’s no reason for me to be happy in any individual moment, but I am. The progression of this thing is really just remarkable. You know, I’m pretty sure I sound pretty good too, but to me, I feel like I sound like a frog.”
