Rebecca Gayheart mourns death of troubled sister: 'Life has not been easy for her'
Rebecca Gayheart was reminded that “life is precious” when she buried her sister this week.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum and wife of Eric Dane shared on Instagram that her “baby sister Rachel” had died. “Life has not been easy for” her sibling, Rebecca noted in her tribute, but now the single mother “can be peaceful.”
“My baby sister Rachel ‘ray ‘ has sadly passed away,” Gayheart, 46, posted, along with a photo of her family reunited for her sister’s funeral. “We buried her on the hilltop in Kentucky along with my grandparents and cousins. She was loved by everyone and had a wicked sense of humor and the most loving heart.”
A post shared by Rebecca Gayheart (@rebeccagayheartdane) on Aug 15, 2017 at 6:18am PDT
She continued, “Life has not been easy for you sis but now you can be peaceful. Im so grateful that I was able to be with my family during this time and want to say thank you to everyone for all of the love and support you’ve sent to me and my family. Let this be a reminder that every day is precious and we must live our best life NOW. Let your loved ones know how much you care as there is no guarantee that you will get another day to do so.”
She gave the post a series of hashtags including “heartbroken,” “my people,” and “life is hard.”
Rachel’s obituary stated that she died on Friday at the Hazard Appalachian Regional Medical Center. Radar Online reports that she had contracted pneumonia while incarcerated at Kentucky River Regional Jail for an unspecified offense. After being transported to the hospital, she died three or four days later. “At this time her exact cause of death is still under investigation,” a Kentucky State Police detective told the website.
Rebecca grew up in Hazard, Ky., before becoming a model and actress and settling down in L.A. with her Grey’s Anatomy hunk husband.
Rachel is survived by her parents, two other siblings, and her only son, Ethan, who posted an online tribute to his mom.
The funeral was held Monday at the Hindman Funeral Services Chapel and included a singing service.
Rebecca has had her share of troubles through the years. Earlier this year her hubby took time off from his latest show, The Last Ship, to be treated for depression. But the couple made headlines in 2009 for a sex tape they made with former Miss Teen USA Kari Ann Peniche. Rebecca also had her own brush with the law: She was convicted of a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge in 2001 for hitting a boy with her car.
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