Before he died of ALS, Eric Dane reflected on how he wanted his daughters to remember him.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum said his teenage daughters will remember him as “pretty tough.”
“They’ll say I was a loving, really loving, caring, empathetic and trustworthy person. I was a good father,” he said on Netflix’s “Famous Last Words,” which aired just hours after his death Thursday at age 53.
The “Euphoria” actor added, “Some of their core memories include me reacting to things. You know, traffic is always a good trigger for that.”
The actor, who is set to appear in Season 3 of Euphoria in April, recalled a family trip to France.
“For some reason…my French accent was spot on,” he joked. “I don’t know where that came from (but everyone was laughing). That was the best part. That’s what I like most. And I was laughing too.”
He emphasized that he is prioritizing “being present” for the sake of his children.
“I wasn’t perfect at it, but I was always there when it mattered. Well, their mother and I are no longer together. We’re still best friends, but not together.”
Dane said she attended all of Georgia’s beach volleyball games and her daughter Billie’s ballet recital.
“I’ve been to see The Nutcracker so many times, and I’ll tell you, there are some beautiful productions, but oh my God, it just goes on and on,” he joked.
The “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” actor also shared details about his relationship with Gayheart.
“We still love each other deeply. I think we just don’t want to live together, but there’s a lot of love there,” he said.
He further added that by the time “someone sees” this interview, “they will never fall in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca.”
Dane is survived by his wife Rebecca Gayheart and two daughters, Billie (15) and Georgia (14).
Dane and Gayheart married in 2004.
The actress filed for divorce in 2018, but called it off in March 2025, one month before announcing her ALS diagnosis in April.
There is no cure for ALS. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is a “neurological disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord” and progresses over time.
In September, Dane was seen in a wheelchair at the Washington, D.C., airport.
In January, he withdrew from an ALS event because he was “not well enough to participate.”
In a statement to People magazine, his family wrote that he “will be greatly missed and always remembered with love.”
They also describe him as a “passionate advocate” of enlightenment and research.
“Eric loves his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he has received. His family requests privacy as they work through this impossible time,” they said.
