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Eric Dane, 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Euphoria' Star, Dead at 53 After ALS Battle
Eric Dane understood his daughters' point of view.
Before the Grey's Anatomy star passed away after a yearlong battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Feb. 19 at the age of 53, he shared how daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14—with Rebecca Gayheart—would remember him after his death.
"I think they would lead with I’m a reactive person," he said in an interview for an episode of Netflix's Famous Last Words that premiered Feb. 20, hours after his passing. "'My dad was a reactive person,’ not necessary a negative connotation. Some of their core memories involve me reacting to something. You know, traffic is always a good impetus for that."
"I think that they would say I was pretty tough. Resilient,” Eric added. "They would say I was loving and I was really endearing and compassionate and empathetic and trustworthy. I’m a good dad."
The Euphoria actor went on to reflect on some of the fond memories he has from traveling with his daughters over the years.
"We did some really great traveling, saw some wonderful places," he shared. "We went to Europe one year, and there was a time where we were ripping through the French countryside with the kids in the back of this crazy little car we rented."
"I would say everything with a French accent," Eric added. "For some reason, for that 15 minutes, my French accent was spot on. I have no idea where that came from."
After interviewer Brad Falchuk intuited that he had his family laughing, the actor said, "That’s the best thing. It’s my favorite thing to do—and laugh myself, too."
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
The Private Practice alum went on to detail his approach to parenting and pointed to his split from Rebecca in 2018 after 14 years of marriage as a complicating factor for their family dynamic.
"I think showing up is the No. 1 quality,” he explained. “I haven’t been perfect with that, but I’ve always been there when it mattered. Well, their mother and I are no longer together. We’re still best friends, but we’re not together."
"Just by virtue of the distance and us living in separate homes, there’s a lot of time lost there," Eric shared. "I made sure that I can be there as much as possible—and certainly when it counts. I’ve shown up to all of Billie’s ballet recitals. I’ve been to many Nutcrackers, and I’ll tell you, there’s a couple pieces in there that are beautiful but Jesus, that thing drones on, man. It’s three hours, but I’ve been to all of them."
He also made sure to express his love for Rebecca, who withdrew her petition for divorce last year amid Eric's diagnosis with ALS.
Instagram / Rebecca Gayheart
"I’m present in their lives, whether I’m in front of them or 2,000 miles away,” Eric said. “Well, we still love each other deeply. I just think we don’t want to live with each other, but there’s a lot of love there. I will never, by the time anybody sees this, have fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca. She’s the mother of my children."
Keep reading for more about Eric and Rebecca's relationship...
Courtesy Chelsea Lauren
2003
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart have never revealed how they first connected, though Dane admitted it's "probably one of the least interesting stories in the world."
"It went basically like this: 'You wanna go out?'" he recalled to Flaunt magazine in 2008. "'Yeah, sure.' Ten months later, we were married."
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic
October 2004
Less than one year after they began dating, the couple exchanged vows in Las Vegas.
Amy Graves/WireImage
May 2017
After Dane announced he was leaving the TNT drama The Last Ship due to his battle with depression, Gayheart took to Instagram to show her support for her husband.
"Way back when I met my Monday man crush," Gayheart captioned a throwback photo of the couple.
JB Lacroix/WireImage
February 2018
Gayheart cited "irreconcilable differences" as the cause of the couple's split and sought spousal support and joint legal and physical custody of their daughters Billie and Georgia when she filed for divorce.
"After 14 years together we have decided that ending our marriage is the best decision for our family," the duo said in a joint statement to E! News at the time. "We will continue our friendship and work as a team to co-parent our two beautiful girls as they are the most important thing in the world to us."
However, the divorce was never finalized, and Dane revealed that the pair were still friends and "great" co-parents when he told Entertainment Tonight in 2019, "We have two kids. It's not complicated...it doesn't have to be."
Jason Merritt/Getty Images for GLAAD
August 2019
One decade after the couple made headlines when a nude video with former Miss Teen USA Kari Ann Peniche was published online, Dane addressed the scandal in a rare interview.
"I often think about that answer I gave. And looking back now, was it a mistake? Absolutely not," he told Glamour of previously describing the incident as a misstep. "Three consenting adults, one of them being my wife? I wasn't doing anything wrong."
He added that his previous comments were "most likely referring to the drug use that was alluded to in the video."
"And was that a mistake? Again, I don't necessarily think I was breaking any laws and corrupting anybody," the Grey's Anatomy alum said. "We were just three people taking a bath."
"I didn't regret it, I have no regrets nor do I make any apologies for my life experience," he concluded. "It's my life experience and I'm at peace with all of it."
After the tape was published in 2009, the couple was forced to take action, and as a result, Dane and Gayheart filed a $1 million copyright infringement against Gawker Media and reportedly settled for upwards of six-figures.
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
August 2022
The pair first sparked rumors of a reconciliation when they jetted off to Europe as a family of four. The Jawbreaker actress shared snaps from the trip showing Dane making a silly face at the camera with their girls.
"This is us," Gayheart captioned the Instagram post. "Family vacay 2022."
In a second pic from their European adventures, the foursome posed together with big smiles on the Parisian streets, as she wrote on the 'gram, "A pit stop in Paris!"
The group then made their way across the coast to St. Tropez, with Gayheart documenting their journey on her Instagram Stories. "My people," she captioned a snap of the fam with a friend.
JB Lacroix/WireImage
January 2023
While she filed for divorce in 2018, Dane and Gayheart kicked off the New Year as one big family.
The Euphoria actor and the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum were photographed walking hand-in-hand off a boat together during a vacation with their two daughters.
Instagram / Rebecca Gayheart
March 2025
Gayheart filed to dismiss her divorce petition, seven years after submitting the papers.
English (US) ·