Who Is Rebecca Gayheart's Much Older Boyfriend, Billionaire Peter Morton?

Following the recent passing of Rebecca Gayheart's husband, her relationship with billionaire Peter Morton has become a point of interest. Explore the history of the business mogul and his timeline with the actress.

Rebecca Gayheart is navigating the days following the death of Eric Dane, who passed away on February 19, 2026, after a battle with ALS. While the actress has been focused on her family, she has also been linked to a high-profile business tycoon for several years.

This connection involves a man who built a global empire but has also faced significant personal loss. Though the two have kept a relatively low profile, their relationship hasn't escaped the attention of those following Gayheart's complicated family dynamic.

The Founder of a Global Icon

Peter Morton is an American entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe. In 1971, he and Isaac Tigrett opened the first American diner-style restaurant in a former Rolls-Royce dealership in London.

A Bachelor of Science in Business Administration graduate from the University of Denver, Morton lived in London and Los Angeles while expanding the brand. He sold his interest in the chain in 1995 for $410 million and later sold the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 2006 for $770 million.

A History of Personal Loss

Morton's personal life has seen both high-profile marriages and tragedy. He married former Vogue cover model Paulene Stone in 1978, and the couple divorced in 1986.

They shared one son, Harry Morton, who founded the Pink Taco restaurant chain. Harry died unexpectedly in 2019 at the age of 38 due to cardiac arrhythmia and coronary artery disease.

Morton also shares two children, Matthew and Grace, with his second wife, Tarlton Pauley Morton. Tarlton passed away suddenly in 2017, twenty years after their divorce.

The Relationship Timeline

Gayheart has been romantically linked to Morton since 2023. This relationship developed during a period when Gayheart and Dane remained legally married but lived separately.

On December 3, 2025, Gayheart and Morton were seen in Beverly Hills, leaving the restaurant E-Baldi. Photos captured the pair kissing in public just months before Dane's death.

Following Dane's passing, Gayheart addressed her community on Instagram, stating, "I am so blown away by the outpouring of love and support from our community. There aren't words to express our gratitude."

A Paradox of Love and Loyalty

Gayheart's relationship with Morton exists alongside the long-standing bond she maintained with Dane until his final moments. Despite their separate romantic lives, the two remained legally wed and shared a connection that Gayheart noted was often "confusing for people."

Their relationship never fit a simple label, and Gayheart said so herself. However, it lasted over two decades — through marriage, separation, a divorce filing that never went through, and hard times that brought them back together.

The pair met in 2003 and married several years later, eventually welcoming two daughters: Billie, now 15, and Georgia, now 14. What unraveled between them, and what held, is a story that played out in fits and starts, in courthouses and red carpets and hospital waiting rooms.

When Things Fell Apart

The marriage was not without turbulence. By Gayheart's account, a lot went wrong over the years. The two separated in September 2017 after 14 years together. In February 2018, Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane, citing irreconcilable differences.

In a statement at the time, Dane said the decision was made in the best interest of their family and that the two would continue co-parenting their daughters, Billie, then 7, and Georgia, then 6.

Gayheart requested joint legal and physical custody of both girls. Notably, the date of separation was listed as "TBD" in the filing.

In the years that followed, both dated other people. By November 2024, Dane had been linked to Priya Jain, and on several occasions, the two were spotted on casual strolls in Los Angeles.

The Divorce That Never Finalized

Despite the filing, the divorce never went through. In March 2025, nearly seven years after Gayheart first filed, she moved to dismiss the case. Dane signed off, and the Los Angeles court closed it. They remained, technically, married.

A month later, Gayheart addressed their status directly. "We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great coparents," she told E! News in April 2025.

She added, "We were married for, I mean, we are still married, but together for 15 years, and we had two beautiful kids, so I think that's a successful relationship, and that's how we look at it."

The very next day, Dane publicly announced his ALS diagnosis.

A Relationship Without a Simple Label

In December 2025, Gayheart gave the fullest picture yet of what their relationship actually looked like. By then, they had lived apart for eight years. Both had dated other people. And yet the bond between them had never fully dissolved.

She described it plainly:

"We separated, but we never got a divorce; we were about to and then we didn't. We haven't lived in the same home for eight years; he's dated other people, I've dated someone. It's a very complicated relationship, one that's confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but it's a familial love."

His Biggest Supporter

When Dane called Gayheart from a doctor's office in San Francisco to tell her he had ALS, she was at home with their youngest daughter. She described the moment as devastating — the two wept together over the phone. In her essay, Rebecca also recalled Eric exhibiting early symptoms of the disease, such as struggling to use his chopsticks while eating and dropping food.

In the months that followed, she became his most consistent source of support. Dane said as much himself in a June 2025 interview, calling her his biggest champion and the person he leaned on most. "We have managed to become better friends and better parents," he said.

He also walked his first red carpet since his diagnosis that same month, this time with photographer and filmmaker Janell Shirtcliff at the Los Angeles premiere of "Countdown" on June 18, 2025.

Gayheart, for her part, was equally clear about where she stood. "Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him," she said.

Whatever the state of their romantic lives, Gayheart made her position clear. She intended to show up for Dane through his illness and to show their daughters what that looked like.

Dane died on February 19, 2026, at 53. His family's statement noted that he spent his final days surrounded by his devoted wife and their two daughters.

Inside the Statement from His Loved Ones

In a statement to People, Dane's family said he died Thursday afternoon after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which they described as courageous.

They added that throughout his illness, he became "a passionate advocate for awareness and research," determined to help others confronting the same disease.

The family also noted that he deeply appreciated the support from fans and asked for privacy as they continue to grieve.

The statement added, "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."