Rebecca Gayheart Dane on caring for her late husband, Eric Dane, and synthetic voices

## Summary
Culture Rebecca Gayheart Dane on caring for her late husband, Eric Dane, and synthetic voices March 11, 2026 5:30 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Juana Summers , Courtney Dorning , Henry Larson Rebecca Gayheart Dane on caring for her late husband, Eric Dane, and synthetic voices Listen · 8:17 8:17 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed < iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5742420/nx-s1-9684170" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Rebecca Gayheart-Dane speaks onstage at the 16th Annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Chrysalis Butterfly Ball The actor Eric Dane, who played Dr. Dane's widow, Rebecca Gayheart Dane, told NPR it was devastating to see his voice slip away. Obituaries Eric Dane, 'Grey's Anatomy' star and ALS awareness advocate, dies at 53 "He was witty, acerbic, full of humor, and he always had a great story," Gayheart Dane said. "So, as speaking became harder for him, I watched and witnessed some of his joy fade, and it was really hard and very heartbreaking." She is now working with ElevenLabs, an artificial intelligence company that makes synthetic voice software.

## Article Content
Culture
Rebecca Gayheart Dane on caring for her late husband, Eric Dane, and synthetic voices
March 11, 2026
5:30 PM ET
Heard on
All Things Considered
By
Juana Summers
,
Courtney Dorning
,
Henry Larson
Rebecca Gayheart Dane on caring for her late husband, Eric Dane, and synthetic voices
Listen
·
8:17
8:17
Toggle more options
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Rebecca Gayheart-Dane speaks onstage at the 16th Annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Chrysalis Butterfly Ball
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Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Chrysalis Butterfly Ball
The actor Eric Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan on the medical drama
Grey's Anatomy
,
died last month
. Dane was 53, and announced he had been diagnosed with ALS last April.
The disease affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, robbing a person of their ability to walk, breathe and often speak.
Dane's widow, Rebecca Gayheart Dane, told NPR it was devastating to see his voice slip away.
Obituaries
Eric Dane, 'Grey's Anatomy' star and ALS awareness advocate, dies at 53
"He was witty, acerbic, full of humor, and he always had a great story," Gayheart Dane said. "So, as speaking became harder for him, I watched and witnessed some of his joy fade, and it was really hard and very heartbreaking."
She is now working with ElevenLabs, an artificial intelligence company that makes synthetic voice software. The company
developed a program
that helps people with permanent voice loss replicate their voices, including Eric Dane's.
Gayheart Dane spoke with
All Things Considered
host Juana Summers about her role as a caregiver and her complex feelings about artificial intelligence.
Listen to the full interview by clicking on the blue play button above.
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### Expert Commentary
This article covers dane, gayheart, eric topics. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 310.