Eric Dane shared four impactful life lessons for his teenage daughters, Billie and Georgia, in his final interview before his death at 53.
“Billie and Georgia, these words are for you. I tried,” Dane said in a Famous Last Words interview, which aired on Netflix one day after he died on Thursday, February 19. “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.”
Dane shared his two children with Rebecca Gayheart. He went on to share how his perspective on life changed following his ALS diagnosis, which he revealed in April 2025.
“I wanna tell you four things I’ve learned from this disease, and I hope you won’t just listen to me. I hope you’ll hear me,” the Grey’s Anatomy actor said. “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.”
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He continued, “I replayed decisions, second-guessed myself. ‘I should have done this, I never should have 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.”
Dane’s second lesson for Billie and Georgia was to “fall in love.”
“Not necessarily fall in love with a person, although I do recommend that as well,” he quipped. “Fall in love with something. Find your passion, your joy [and] find the thing that makes you wanna get up in the morning, drives 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.”
According to Dane, his love for performing got him through his “darkest hours, days and years.”
“I still love my work, I still look forward to doing it,” he said. “I still wanna get in front of a camera and play my part. My work doesn’t define me, but it excites me. Find something that excites you, find your path, your purpose, your dream [and] then go for it, really go for it.”
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Next, Dane advised his children to “choose [their] friends wisely.”
“Find your people and allow them to find you, and then you give yourselves to them. The best of them will give back to you, no judgment, no conditions, no questions asked,” he stated. “I’m so thankful for my very close family and friends. Every single one of them has stepped up.”
Dane continued, “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.”
The Euphoria star’s final lesson for Billie and Georgia was to “fight with every ounce of your being and with dignity.”
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“When you face challenges, health or otherwise, fight. Never give up, fight until your last breath,” Dane said. “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.”
He concluded, “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. I hope I’ve demonstrated that you can face anything, you can face the end of your days [and] you can face hell with dignity. Fight, girls, and hold your heads high.”
At the very end of his speech, Dane told his kids that they are his “heart” and his “everything.”
“Good night, I love you,” he said. “Those are my last words.”
Dane’s family announced his death in a statement on Thursday, noting 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.”
