Eric Dane has died, 10 months after publicly sharing he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 53 and leaves behind a loving family, including his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and their two children, Billie and Georgia. These are 5 things the couple has said about parenting and their children.
1. Eric Dane Felt ‘Lucky’
GettyIn a December 2020 interview with People, Dane discussed his love for his family. “I never had a family, and now I do,” Dane said. “I know I’m a very lucky guy.” His own father passed away when he was seven.
2. Eric Dane Didn’t Want to Be Taken from His Daughters
GettyDane and Gayheart’s first child, daughter Billie, was born in Los Angeles on March 3, 2010. Their second child, another daughter, Georgia, was born on December 28, 2011. Dane shared in an interview with Diane Sawyer for “Good Morning America” that he was angry about his ALS diagnosis because it could take him away from his children at such a young age.
“Very angry. I’m angry because my father was taken from me when I was young,” Dane said, People reports. “And now there’s a very good chance I’m going to be taken from my girls while they are very young. I mean, 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.” In the interview, he also revealed that his girls knew how loved they are, and he tells them “every day.”
3. Eric Dane’s Kids Love ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
GettyOne of Dane’s most memorable roles was in the long-running series “Grey’s Anatomy,” in which he starred as Dr. Mark Everett Sloan from Season 2 until Season 9. He later starred in the hit TV show, “Euphoria,” as Cal Jacobs. In an interview on “Live with Kelly and Mark” in June 2024, Dane said his daughters have seen “every episode” of “Grey’s Anatomy,” but he would “never” let them watch him in “Euphoria.”
4. Rebecca Gayheart Reveals How ALS Affects Their Parenting
GettyIn an essay for The Cut in December 2025, Gayheart revealed how Dane’s ALS diagnosis had impacted their parenting. “Spending all this time together, it’s all been really positive, and I think it’s nice for the kids to see maybe a softer side of us,” Gayheart wrote. “It’s not that they have the hopes of us being together — kids always dream of their parents getting back together, and I think now ours don’t because they understand the reality of the situation.”
She continued, “It’s a very complicated relationship, one that’s confusing for people. Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love.”
5. Rebecca Gayheart & Eric Dane’s Co-Parenting Bond
GettyDane and Gayheart had an on-and-off-again relationship, and when she filed for divorce in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, the couple worked hard to maintain a great co-parenting relationship.
“My ex, Eric, and I, we are friends and we are doing our best to co-parent and maintain a family, even though we’re not married. Legally we’re still married, but separated,” Gayheart told People in 2019. “And I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it. Life is just good. There are so many exciting things happening.”
