Eric Dane spoke about his legacy and his ALS battle in a wide-ranging interview that aired after his death at 53.
“It’s a weird concept to grapple with, you and I talking here right now, and we’re both very alive,” Dane told Brad Falchuk in a Famous Last Words interview, which dropped via Netflix on Friday, February 20. “And at the same time, when this exists, if it ever does, I won’t be here. It’s kind of cool, I think.”
He continued, “It’s just the idea of living on past the moment when you peace out. It’s pretty interesting to me … speaking from the dead.”
Us Weekly confirmed on Thursday, February 19, that Dane died at the age of 53 following a battle with ALS. The Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star is survived by his two daughters, whom he shared with Rebecca Gayheart.
Eric Dane Predicted How 2 Daughters Would Remember Him Before His Death at 53
“I’ve always had a sense of humor about this,” Dane said of his diagnosis. “It’s really kind of interesting what’s happening to my body. The mechanics of this disease is pretty interesting to me. It’s when you zoom in and look at how it affects the individual moments is when it can actually bring you down a little bit.”
Despite the physical changes that came with ALS, Dane remained in positive spirits.
“My spirit has been surprisingly pretty buoyant through this journey,” he said. “I have no idea, there’s no reason for me to be happy in any individual moment, but I am. The progression of this thing is really just remarkable. You know, I’m pretty sure I sound pretty good too, but to me, I feel like I sound like a frog.”
Keep scrolling for more of Dane’s ruminations on legacy, his health battle and more in his final interview:
Thoughts on His Eventual Death
“I have a controversial relationship with the universe right now,” Eric Dane acknowledged on Famous Last Words. “I think when the lights go out, it’s over. I don’t believe that there’s another place for our souls to go. I think people believe that stuff because it provides them with a lot of comfort, but I’ve really come to grips with it.”
He continued, “I think, once the lights go out, out with the old, in with the new. I think [I’ve always believed that]. I do believe that when we go to sleep or however we go, once we’re gone, we’re gone. We live on in the memories of the people that will miss us.”
A Career to be Proud of
Eric Dane starred on hit shows Charmed, Grey’s Anatomy, Euphoria and The Last Ship throughout his career.
“I’m proud of it. All of it got me to where I am today,” he said after Brad Falchuk read off Dane’s personal and professional biography. “There was a ton of experience in there. Life experience, personal, professional. I think when I really tried to be good and approached the craft with a certain amount of effort and focus that I was capable of doing some pretty good work.”
When Life Imitates Art
Eric Dane recalled how he “put a lot of effort” into his Euphoria character of Cal Jacobs.
“Well, Cal and I are very similar in that we know what it’s like to lead a double life,” he said. “I’ve had experience with that with my battle with drugs and alcohol. I know what it’s like to not have my insides match my outside.”
Dane hinted that he found some inspiration for his Euphoria role from his father, who died by suicide when the actor was young.
“I think my father struggled with life and he never felt like he was enough,” he said. “I don’t think somebody who’s that intoxicated would play with a gun in a bathroom by themselves for fun. So, I think my father in that moment meant to do it. I kept thinking about how lonely my father must have been and how scared he must have been. It’s heartbreaking.”
He added, “I could feel lonely in a crowded room. I’ve always felt detached from my peers. I’ve historically had a very difficult time connecting with people. And you know, four months after my father died, my [maternal] grandmother died, who I lived with. Very close. That was almost as impactful, maybe more so than my dad. She really took care of me. She was great, man, she was so much fun.”
Jensen Ackles and More Celebrities React to Eric Dane’s Death at 53
Coping With His Father’s Death
Eric Dane was 7 years old when his father died.
“I ended up going to a treatment center for trauma and depression, solely related to my dad ‘cause that’s where the trauma came from,” he said in Famous Last Words. “Shutting off, don’t feel, be strong to me, man. Don’t feel, don’t cry. I wanted to explode, but I had to keep it in.”
Dane further noted that he used to write letters to his late date.
“Not so much lately,” he said. “I think I’ve found real peace around it. It still makes me feel, but I’ve really found some peace around it.”
Where Eric Dane Stood With Rebecca Gayheart
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart were married from 2004 to 2018 before she filed for divorce. Gayheart withdrew her petition in 2025 shortly before Dane announced his ALS diagnosis.
“Well, their mother and I are no longer together,” he said while talking about daughters Georgia and Billie. “We’re still best friends, but we’re not together. We still love each other deeply. I just think we don’t want to live with each other, but there’s a lot of love there.”
Dane explained that he knew instantly that he wanted to marry Gayheart, who was still engaged to her high school boyfriend when they met.
“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. She’s the mother of my children,” he said, acknowledging why they separated. “I think Rebecca was more willing to show up and do her part than I was. I don’t have that gene [that] just makes you want to keep going regardless of what’s happening. I’m like, ‘If there’s a hole in the boat, don’t try to patch the hole. Scuttle the damn thing and go find a new one.’ … Rebecca’s a fighter and she perseveres.
A Proud Dad
Eric Dane spoke openly about his two daughters, Billie and Georgia, in the Netflix sit-down.
“My firstborn was always gonna be Billie [after my late father], whether it was a boy or a girl, and she’s got kind of a cool name. Billie Dane, sounds like a gunfighter,” he explained. “[With Georgia], I think Rebecca just loved that name.”
Dane, who stressed the importance of always showing up for his kids and never missing their dance recitals and volleyball games, even predicted what they would remember about him after he died.
“I think they would lead with I’m a reactive person. ‘My dad was a reactive person,’ [which is] not necessarily a negative connotation,” he said. “Some of their core memories involve me reacting to something. You know, traffic is always a good impetus for that.”
He continued, “I think that they would say I was pretty tough. Resilient. They would say I was loving and I was really endearing and compassionate and empathetic and trustworthy. I’m a good dad.”
Eric Dane Recounts His Addiction Struggles
“I’m not good with a lot of time on my hands,” he said. “I need structure and [Grey’s Anatomy] provided a lot of structure for me. When we stopped short for the writers’ strike, I had months off and I found my way back to drugs and alcohol. I knew better because at that time I had been sober for about nine years, so I knew better.”
According to Dane, overcoming substance abuse struggles was an example of resilience and “maybe there’s a little perseverance.”
Eric Dane’s ALS Advocacy
Eric Dane was a fierce advocate for research supporting a cure for ALS prior to his death.
“It’s kind of silly. From what I gather, the research is fueled by money,” he said. “It’s just a money problem. If they had unlimited funds and research, we would find a solution to this pretty quick. There’s only 31,000 people with ALS in this country [and] there’s 340 million people in the United States of America. I think it’s hard to understand the concept of a single life and how big that single life can be and how many people it affects.”
Dane continued, “I still can’t believe this is happening to me. It’s weird, you know? I didn’t think this was gonna be the end of the road for me. This was never part of the story I created for myself. I didn’t think I would get something as crazy and deadly as ALS, like, why would I get something like that? I’m healthy, but I don’t feel sorry for myself. I feel bad for my kids and Rebecca and my friends, but I’ve never felt sorry for myself.”
Eric Dane Felt ‘Angry’ That ALS Was Taking Him Away From His Daughters
How Eric Dane Hoped to Be Remembered
“A kind, thoughtful, considerate, empathetic, sensitive, vulnerable, even though afraid to be at times, person who cares a lot,” he said. “To feel as deeply and intensely as I feel all the time? It’s exhausting.”
Dane admitted he had “tons” of regrets.
“I regret some of the decisions I’ve made, some of the choices I’ve made surrounding drugs and alcohol,” he said. “I feel like I’ve let go of pretty much everything. It’s very freeing. So, what if you don’t like me? Man, I wish I could feel like this when I was able-bodied and strong and healthy.”
Dane also had come to terms with missing certain key moments in his family’s life.
“Most likely I won’t be around to walk my kids, my girls, down the aisle and have grandkids, and that’s a tough thing to deal with,” he said. “I have a set of circumstances I don’t think I’m willing to deal with. I may feel differently at the time, but I guess by the time anybody sees this, they will have known if I stuck to that. I’ll tell you, if I can’t communicate with my daughters anymore and I can’t move, I don’t want to be here.”
Eric Dane’s Last Message
At the end of Famous Last Words, Eric Dane issued a personal statement to his daughters.
“Billie and Georgia, these words are for you. I tried,” Dane said. “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 continued, “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. 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 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 also told his kids to “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,” he added. “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 year. I still love my work, I still look forward to doing it. I still wanna get in front of a camera and play my part. My work doesn’t define me, but it excites me.”
Dane’s other lessons for Billie and Georgie were to “choose your friends wisely” and “fight with every ounce of your being and with dignity.”
“I’m so grateful for my family and friends. Every single one of them has stepped up,” he stressed. “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.”
Dane concluded, “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 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. Billie and Georgia, you are my heart, you are my everything. Good night, I love you, those are my last words.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
