Rebecca Gayheart shares bittersweet family photo as she marks first Father's Day since Eric Dane's tragic death

Rebecca Gayheart is aching for the two daughters she shares with the late Eric Dane as they mark their first Father's Day since his tragic passing. 

The Grey's Anatomy actor died at age 53 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in February, leaving behind daughters Billie Beatrice Dane, 16, and Georgia Geraldine, 14.

On Sunday, Gayheart posted a photo of the actor sitting with his little girls - along with an emotional message about Dane's continued presence in their lives.

'I hurt for my girls today,' she posted to her Instagram Stories. 'It's a "first" of many to come. I know Eric is looking out for them every day.'

The message was concluded with an emoji of a bandaged heart.

Gayheart and Dane married in October 2004, separated in September 2017, and shockingly called off their divorce in March 2025 – one month before Dane publicly announced his ALS diagnosis. 

Months before his death, Dane secretly recorded an interview for Netflix in which he left a deeply personal message for his two daughters.

The 50-minute film, titled Famous Last Words: Eric Dane, was recorded in secret with the understanding it would only be released posthumously, according to reports.

Toward the end of the interview with Gwyneth Paltrow's husband, Brad Falchuk, Dane addressed his daughters directly, speaking to the camera with them in mind: 'Billie and Georgia, these words are for you. I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried.'

He continued, 'Overall, we had a blast, didn't we?'

In the end, he told them, 'Billie and Georgia, you are my heart. You are my everything. Good night. I love you. Those are my last words.'

He also said about his wife: 'I think Rebecca was more willing to show up and do her part than I was.

'I don’t have that gene that just makes you wanna keep going regardless of what happens. I’m like, "If there’s a hole in the boat, don’t try to patch the hole." Scuttle the damn thing and find a new one.'

The father of two also reflected on losing 'a lot of time' with their kids following their separation.

'By virtue of the distance of us living in separate homes, there’s a lot of time lost there. But I made sure that I can be there as much as possible and certainly when it counts,' he noted.

And he insisted that he and his estranged wife were 'still really best friends.'

'We still love each other deeply. I just think we don’t wanna live with each other. But there’s a lot of love there,' he emphasized.

Gayheart was listed as Dane's wife on his death certificate, despite the fact that the two had been legally separated for seven years prior to his ALS diagnosis.

The widow is also listed as the beneficiary of Dane's GoFundMe page, which has raised $490,000 of a $500,000 goal to help 'provide stability during this incredibly difficult time and in the future for Eric's wonderful daughters.'

Had Gayheart and Dane never legally separated between 2018 and 2025, they would have been married for 21 straight years.

However, Dane had been dating photographer Janell Shirtcliff since 2022, while the Jawbreaker alum publicly kissed Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton, 78, at E Baldi in Beverly Hills on December 3.

In an essay published in The Cut last year, Gayheart said: 'We had a really lovely marriage for a long time - we were married for 15 years - we created two beautiful girls.

'But also, lots of s**t went crazy in our relationship, and it wasn't good. 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,' she acknowledged.

Weeks after her husband's death, she took to Instagram to share a montage of photos from throughout their relationship.

The caption read: 'There are no words. All our love forever — your girls ❤️.'