'You are my everything': Actor Eric Dane's emotional posthumous message to his daughters

Actor Eric Dane has died at 53, after battling Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. A posthumous message from Dane was released by Netflix at his request, with moving messages for his wife and their daughters.

Key Takeaways:

• Dane appeared in numerous small roles before landing his breakout appearance in "Grey's Anatomy" as Dr. Mark Sloan, which catapulted him to fame.

• He was diagnosed with ALS in 2024, and went public with the diagnosis in 2025.

• Dane died at 53, leaving behind his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, and two daughters, Billie and Georgia.

• Netflix released a posthumous interview with Dane, recorded months prior and planned for release after his death. The interview contains moving words of advice and love for his family.

The Backstory:

Dane is most well-known for his roles in "Grey's Anatomy" and "Euphoria." He continued acting after receiving his ALS diagnosis. Through it all, he had the support of his family.

Dane and Gayheart married in 2004, and despite separating in 2018, they never divorced; Gayheart withdrew her petition in 2025, and remained supportive as he battled the disease.

In 2024, he began noticing disturbing symptoms of weakness in his right hand, and at first, he wasn't sure what was happening — and neither did his doctors. “I didn’t really think anything of it at the time,” Dane told Diane Sawyer. “I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later I noticed it got a little worse. So I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist. I went and saw a neurologist and the neurologist sent me to another neurologist and said, ‘This is way above my pay grade.'”

Eventually, he was diagnosed with ALS, a progress degenerative disease that causes paralysis, eventually affecting patients' ability to eat and breathe. There is currently no cure.

In an interview with The Cut, Gayheart explained how the couple's relationship became deeper than just romantic love:

"It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love. Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me.

So whatever I can do or however I can show up to make this journey better for him or easier for him, I want to do that. And I want to model that for my girls: That’s what you do. That’s the right thing to do."

She also said his number one goal was to spend as much time with his family as possible in the months he had left.

Dane vowed to fight as long as he could. “In my heart, I don’t feel like this is the end for me,” he said. “I’m fighting as much as I can. There’s so much about it that’s out of my control.”

The Details:

Before his death, Dane spoke about the pain of knowing his daughters would lose their father at a young age, which was something he experienced firsthand; his father committed suicide when he was seven years old.

"I'm angry because, you know, my father was taken from me when I was young," he told Sawyer. "And now, there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young. I really, at the end of the day, just all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can."

Now, following his death, Netflix has released "Famous Last Words," an interview Dane gave several months ago. The film was to be released only after he passed away. In it, he spoke lovingly of his family, including Gayheart, who he has described as his rock.

Eric Dane’s Final Message To His Daughters and The World | Famous Last Words | Netflix

"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," he said. "She's the mother of my children. And the whole way that thing came about, it was so organic and fortuitous. I met Rebecca, and I turned to her friend, and I said, 'I'm going to marry that girl.' And her friend said, 'No way. She's never breaking up with her fiancé. They're getting married. They've been together since they were 15.' You know, four years later, I married her."

But his most moving statements were for his daughters.

"Billie and Georgia, these words are for you. I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall, we had a blast, didn't we? I remember all the times we spent at the beach, the two of you, me and Mom, in Malibu, Santa Monica, Hawaii, Mexico. I see you now playing in the ocean for hours, my water babies. Those days, pun intended, were heaven."

He then gave them four pieces of advice for the future:

First, live now, right now in the present. It's hard, but I learned to do that.

For years, I would wander off mentally, lost in my head for long chunks of time, wallowing in worry and self-pity, shame and doubt. I replayed decisions, second-guessed myself. 'I shouldn't have done this. I never should've done that.' No more.

Out of pure survival, I am forced to stay in the present. But I don't want to be anywhere else. The past contains regrets, the future remains unknown, so you have to live now. The present is all you have. Treasure it, cherish every moment. 

Second, fall in love. Not necessarily with a person, although I do recommend that as well. But fall in love with something. Find your passion, your joy. Find the thing that makes you want to get up in the morning, drive you through the entire day. 

I fell in love for the first time when I was about your age. I fell in love with acting. That love eventually got me through my darkest hours, my darkest days, my darkest years....

Third, choose your friends wisely. Find your people and allow them to find you, and then give yourselves to them. The best of them will give back to you. No judgment, no conditions, no questions asked.

I'm so thankful for my very close family and friends. Every single one has stepped up. I can't do even the little things I used to do. I can't drive around town, go to the gym, get coffee, hang out. I've learned to embrace alternatives. My friends come to me, we eat together, watch a game, listen to music. They don't do anything special, they just show up. That's a big one, just show up. And love your friends with everything you have. Hang on to them. They will entertain you, guide you, help you, support you, and some will save you. 

Finally, fight with every ounce of your being and with dignity. When you face challenges, health or otherwise, fight. Never give up. Fight until your last breath. This disease is slowly taking my body, but it will never take my spirit. 

The two of you are different people, but you're both strong and resilient. You inherited resiliency from me; that's my superpower. You knock me down, I bounce right up and I keep coming back. I get up again and again and again.... So when something unexpected hits you, and it will, because that's life, fight and face it with honesty, integrity, and grace, even if it feels or seems surmountable. I hope I've demonstrated that you can face anything. You can face the end of your days, you can face hell with dignity.

Fight, girls, and hold your heads high.

He ended his message with one final, poignant statement: "Billie and Georgia, you are my heart, you are my everything. Goodnight, I love you. Those are my last words."

The Bottom Line:

Through Dane's battle with ALS, he revealed what is most important above all else — not money, fame, or career... but family and love.