In his final interview, the actor directly addressed his two daughters.

Eric Dane’s family: About the late Grey’s Anatomy actor’s wife and daughters

In his final interview, the actor directly addressed his two daughters.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

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February 20, 2026 6:14 p.m. ET

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Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart with their daughters, Billie and Georgia. Credit:

Rebecca Gayheart/Instagram

Eric Dane, best known for playing Dr. Mark Sloan on *Grey's Anatomy*, died Thursday at the age of 53, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He is survived by his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart — from whom he separated in 2017 — and their two daughters.

"He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world," his family confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE.

Eric and Rebecca began dating in 2003, getting married the following year in Las Vegas. In 2018, Rebecca filed for divorce, but dismissed the petition about a month before Eric announced his diagnosis.

As fans mourn his death, here's a closer look at Eric Dane's family.**

Rebecca Gayheart is an actress

Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart attend the 43rd AFI Life Achievement Award Gala on June 4, 2015, in Hollywood.

Michael Kovac/Getty

After turning heads with a string of Noxzema commercials, Rebecca Gayheart forged a steady career across TV and film.

She got her start in the early '90s playing Hannah Mayberry on the soap operas *Loving *and *All My Children*. From there, she popped up on primetime favorites like *Beverly Hills, 90210 *(1995), *Dead Like Me* (2003), and *Nip/Tuck *(2004–2006), as well as the short-lived drama *Vanished *(2006).

On the big screen, she appeared in popular slashers like *Scream 2 *(1997) and *Urban Legend* (1998), as well as the 1999 cult classic *Jawbreaker*. In 2019, she appeared in Quentin Tarantino's *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood *as Billie Booth, the doomed wife of Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth.

Her experience working with Pitt and Tarantino, she told * *at the time, was "one for the books."**

Eric and Rebecca shared two daughters

Billie Beatrice Dane, Eric Dane, and Georgia Geraldine Dane attend the premiere of 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' on May 30, 2024 in Hollywood.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Eric Dane was a devoted father to two daughters. He and Rebecca welcomed their first child, Billie, in March 2010.

During a 2016 appearance on Harry Connick Jr.'s talk show, Eric revealed she was named after his father: "Whether it was a boy or a girl, the firstborn was gonna be a Billie," he said.

Their family grew in December 2011 with the arrival of their second daughter, Georgia.

The *Euphoria *actor often gushed about his daughters, and in a September 2025 discussion with Congressman Eric Swalwell expressed his desire to combat ALS so he could "see them graduate college, get married, maybe have grandkids."

He added, "I wanna be there for all that. So, I'm gonna fight until the last breath on this one."

Though Eric and Rebecca were long separated, they remained close. As she revealed in a December 2025 essay in The Cut, the pair lived just 12 minutes apart from one another.

"It's a very complicated relationship, one that's confusing for people," she wrote. "Our love may not be romantic, but it's a familial love."

Rebecca, Billie, and Georgia were by Eric’s side throughout his ALS battle

Rebecca Gayheart, Eric Dane, Georgia Dane, and Billie Dane at the 16th Annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017, in Brentwood, Calif.

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

In September 2025, Rebecca told PEOPLE that she and the girls were "taking it day by day" after Eric's diagnosis.

"We have some professional therapists who are helping us, and we're just trying to have some hope and do it with dignity, grace, and love," Rebecca said. "I mean, it's heartbreaking. My girls are really suffering, and we're just trying to get through it."

The actress said in November that she'd been telling Billie and Georgia that "we show up for people no matter what" as their dad's ALS rapidly progressed. "He is our family. He is your father," Rebecca recalled telling her daughters. "We show up, and we try to do it with some dignity and some grace and just get through it."**

Eric Dane directly addressed his daughters in his final interview

In his final interview, Eric spoke directly to his daughters. It was conducted for *Famous Last Words*, a Netflix series in which public figures partake in an interview they know will be aired after their death. It premiered on Friday, Feb. 20, the day after he passed.

"Billie and Georgia, these words are for you," he began. "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 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 offered four lessons he'd learned from his battle with ALS: live in the present, fall in love, choose friends wisely, and fight with everything you have.

"Fight with every ounce of your being, and with dignity," he said. "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."

Eric also reminded Billie and Georgia of their strength. "You're both strong and resilient. You inherited resiliency from me. That's my superpower," he said. "You knock me down, I bounce right up, and I keep coming back. ... 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 insurmountable."

Wrapping up his message, Eric told his daughters he hoped he had shown them they could take on anything life throws their way. "You can face the end of your days. You can face hell with dignity. Fight, girls, and hold your heads high. Billie and Georgia, you are my heart. You are my everything. Good night. I love you. Those are my last words."

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