Rebecca Gayheart has been linked to Peter Morton following her split from Eric Dane.
Gayheart and the Grey’s Anatomy star tied the knot in 2004, welcoming two daughters before the pair split and Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018. Gayheart ultimately withdrew her divorce petition in 2025 after Dane was diagnosed with ALS.
“I talk to her every day,” Dane said in a June 2025 interview with Good Morning America regarding his diagnosis, adding that Gayheart was the first person he called whenever he had health challenges. “We have managed to become better friends and better parents, and she is my — probably my biggest champion. My most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her.”
One year later, the Grey’s Anatomy star died. He was 53.
“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” his family told Us in a statement in February 2026, in part. “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. Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight.”
Morton made his billions as a cofounder of both the Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Hotel brands — which he later sold for $410 million and $770 million, respectively.
The businessman once set the record for the highest home sale price in Los Angeles history when he sold his Malibu residence for a jaw-dropping $110 million in 2018, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Keep scrolling for more information on Morton and his relationship with Gayheart.
Peter Morton Cofounded the Hard Rock Cafe Brand
Peter Morton is the son of the late Arnie Morton, founder of the Morton’s Steakhouse chain. In June 1971, he followed in his father’s footsteps when he teamed up with friend Isaac Tigrett to open the first Hard Rock Cafe in London.
The rock & roll-themed eateries expanded internationally with the opening of a second location in Toronto, Canada, in 1978. Morton and Tigrett eventually opened more than 300 Hard Rock-branded locations in 70 countries.
Morton oversaw the expansion of the rock music-themed brand into a chain of Hard Rock Hotels, opening the first resort in Las Vegas in 1995. By 2025, there were Hard Rock Hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Hollywood, Florida, Cancun, Mexico and Athens, Greece, among other hotspots.
Peter Morton Broke a Record With the $110 million Sale of His Los Angeles Home
According to Forbes, Morton set the record for the highest-priced home sale in Los Angeles history when he sold his house in Malibu’s Carbon Beach area for $110 million in 2018. (A 9.5-acre oceanfront estate in Malibu subsequently set a new L.A. record when it sold for $210 million in June 2024.)
Morton’s Malibu home sat on one-half acre of land bordering California’s famed Pacific Coast Highway. The Los Angeles Times reported that the main house and guest house offered 8,000 square feet of living space, including seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Amenities included a swimming pool and a courtyard garden, plus 100 feet of beachfront space.
Real estate broker Jack Pritchett told the publication in 2018 that sales like Morton’s were rare for the Malibu area.
“There are never going to be that many giant sales [in Malibu], because there are only so many homes that have a lot of beachfront and multiple parcels,” he explained. “We can say $110 million is a joke, but you can’t find multiple-lot properties like Morton’s.”
Morton made an astronomical profit on his Malibu house since he reportedly purchased it for $5.6 million in multiple payments over a three-decade period.
Peter Morton Made Millions Selling Hard Rock Brand
Morton held the rights to open Hard Rock Cafes and Hotels in certain geographic areas as part of a business agreement with his former partner, Isaac Tigrett.
In June 1996, Morton announced that he and his business partners had sold their stake in the Hard Rock Cafe restaurants to the Rank Organization for $410 million. (Morton personally made around $300 million from the deal, according to reports.)
The Associated Press reported in May 2006 that Morton and his partners had sold the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas — and other associated properties — to the Morgans Hotel Group Company for $770 million in cash.
“It was just time to take the chips off the table,” Morton told The Associated Press. “I’m looking to do some different things in my life. That was it.”
He explained to The Los Angeles Times in November 2026 that he was never entirely comfortable being involved in the gaming business.
“I never got a thrill beating people in the gaming business,” he admitted. “I have addiction in my family, and gambling is just another form of addiction. So when we had a great day, we were making money off people with addiction issues, which never thrilled me. And of course, the local prices were high, there was a lot of liquidity up there, and we were in a very good position to sell.”
Asked if he had any regrets, Morton conceded: “The only regret I have about moving on is leaving the rock scene behind. I will miss announcing the arrival of the Rolling Stones at a concert.”
Peter Morton Has Been Married Twice
Morton was originally married to British model Paulene Stone between 1980 and 1986. They welcomed a son, Harry Morton, during their marriage.
Peter also served as a stepfather to Stone’s daughter from a prior relationship, the late bounty hunter Domino Harvey. (Keira Knightley memorably portrayed Harvey in the 2005 movie Domino. Harvey died at age 35 in 2005 from a suspected fentanyl overdose.)
The mogul welcomed two children during his second marriage to Tarlton Pauley, which ended in 1997. (Pauley died at age 55 in October 2017.)
The restaurateur reportedly also dated supermodel Linda Evangelista on and off between 2006 to 2013.
Peter Morton’s Son Harry Morton Died at 38
Peter’s son Harry also found success in the restaurant business by founding the Pink Taco casual dining chain in Los Angeles in 1999. He was also a former owner of L.A. hotspot The Viper Room, which was also coowned by Johnny Depp at one time.
Harry made headlines for his brief romance with Lindsay Lohan in 2006.
Harry was found dead at age 38 in his Beverly Hills home in November 2019. Page Six reported that Harry died from cardiac arrest due to undiagnosed coronary artery disease.
Peter partnered with UCLA Health in 2023 to create the Harry Morton Congenital Heart Disease Screening Fund in memory of his son.
“Harry was a man of numerous accomplishments, and a dear friend to many. It means so much to our family to create a legacy for Harry in this way,” Peter said in a statement. “It gives me great satisfaction to play a vital role in research focused on congenital heart disease that will change outcomes so that other families will not have to experience what we have.”
Peter Morton Has Been Romantically Linked to Rebecca Gayheart
Peter was first linked to Gayheart when they went on a double date with supermodel Claudia Schiffer and her husband, director Matthew Vaughn, at Beverly Hills restaurant E. Baldi in April 2023, according to the Daily Mail.
Gayheart filed for divorce from her estranged husband, Eric Dane, in 2018, though she eventually asked a court to withdraw the petition in March 2025 amid his ALS battle. The actress told E! News the following month that she and Dane were working through their coparenting relationship.
“We are best of friends. We are really close. We are great coparents,” Gayheart said in April 2025. “We really figured out the formula to staying a family and I think our kids are benefiting greatly from it and we are as well.”
There were renewed rumors that Gayheart was dating Peter in December 2025 when the Daily Mail published photos of them kissing outside E. Baldi — the same Beverly Hills eatery where they’d been spotted on a double date more than two years earlier.
Neither party has addressed their relationship status, as of publication.
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