Why Eric Dane exploded at 'son of a b***h" co-star Josh Duhamel: Revealed in late star's memoir

Eric Dane revealed that he nearly fought Josh Duhamel as he hurled expletives at him on set over two decades ago.

Dane died at age 53 earlier this year but a memoir he wrote during his health battle has just been released – laying bare his battle with addiction, his relationship with wife Rebecca Gayheart, last words to his daughters, the first signs of his illness, and his misdiagnosis before getting his 'death sentence' diagnosis. 

My Book Of Days: A Memoir of Moments was released on Tuesday as in it he described in vivid detail the process leading up to his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis.

In a chapter titled 'the day I lost my mind on camera' he described a showdown between him and Duhamel, now 53, on the set of his NBC series Las Vegas in 2004.

Dane wrote: 'I’m on set, shooting a guest shot for the show 'Las Vegas. We’re about to film a fight scene. 

'I ask the lead, Josh Duhamel, to please not grab me by the tie during the scene. He promises me he won’t.'

Dane wrote that he had been dealing with a herniated cervical disc in his neck at the time and when the director called 'action' Duhamel pulled on the tie despite their prior agreement. 

The late actor wrote: 'Fire rips through my neck. I go, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, we have to stop." 

'He apologizes, I grunt from the pain, and then, take two. He pulls on my tie again.'

Dane was frustrated as he told the director to 'rein in' the lead actor of the series and Duhamel apologized as he explained that he was caught up in the moment. 

Then things really hit another level as the actor wrote:  'Fine. Okay. Take three, and son of a bitch, he grabs my f***ing tie again I whip off my suit coat and I say, "Let’s go, you p****-a** actor." 

'I ball my hands into fists and I come at him. Nobody calls "Cut," the camera keeps rolling, and to the world who sees the whole nasty scene, I’m the aggressor, the hothead, I start the fight.'

He expressed his regret over the incident and said that years had passed before apologizing to Duhamel.

Dane wrote:  'Josh and I have seen each other since and we’re cool. But I want to say it again. Josh, I was wrong. I should’ve walked away. I’m sorry, dude.'

The Euphoria star was making a guest appearance as Leo Broder on the second season of the series.

Las Vegas was a series on NBC which aired for five seasons from 2003 to 2008 as  Duhamel played Danny McCoy who was a former US Marine and head of security for a fictional resort.

Dane, who shot to fame on Grey's Anatomy as Dr Mark Sloan aka 'McSteamy,' died February 19 aged 53 of ALS about a year after he announced that he had been diagnosed with the illness. 

Dane was married to aforementioned actress Gayheart, 55, as they share daughters Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14.

Although Dane split from Gayheart in 2017, they remained friendly co-parents and never finalized the divorce, which they called off just before he revealed he had ALS, colloquially known in America as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Gayheart, 55, remained a stalwart source of support for him amid his final decline, even as both of them continued to date other people. 

Dane and Gayheart tied the knot in 2004, two years before he landed his fan favorite role as the womanizing 'McSteamy' on Grey's Anatomy. 

They stayed together through the scandal that erupted five years into their marriage when a home video leaked of them frolicking naked with an ex-beauty queen.

Gayheart stood by Dane through various personal problems, including his rehab stay in 2011 to wean himself off the pain medication he had begun taking for an injury. 

Six years later in 2017, Dane entered treatment for depression, resulting in a filming pause on his action drama series The Last Ship.

The next year, Gayheart filed for divorce on grounds of irreconcilable differences, and the pair agreed on joint custody of their daughters with Dane paying alimony.

Gayheart, who acted infrequently after having children, remarked a few months after her divorce filing that she wanted to start working again. 

'I think that as a female you need to be able to always take care of yourself and never depend on a man,' she told Us Weekly. 'I’m going back to work and I think it’s partly because I want my daughters to see me work.'

She explained that she and Eric were 'doing our best' to co-parent their children, acknowledging: 'It isn’t easy. But we are trying and we are committed.'

The couple never finalized the divorce, which they threw out altogether in the weeks before Dane announced he was suffering from ALS. 

Dane's memoir My Book Of Days: A Memoir of Moments is out now.