Eric Dane leaves final message to daughters, filmed months before his passing
Eric Dane shared a soul-baring message with his daughters in an episode of Netflix’s docuseries Famous Last Words, released just one day after his passing.
The interview, filmed last November, captures a side of the actor rarely seen. He reflected on how his battle with illness "made me a little bit softer, a little bit more open."
In the episode’s closing moments, Dane, 53, offered his final reflections and life lessons to his teenage daughters, Billie and Georgia.
“Billie and Georgia, these words are for you. I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall, we had a blast, didn’t we?" he asked, recalling the times they spent at the beach with their mom, actress Rebecca Gayheart.
"First, live now. Right now. In the present. It’s hard, but I learned to do that. For years, I have been wandering around mentally and lost in my head for long chunks of time, wallowing and worrying in self-pity, shame, and doubt. I’ve replayed decisions, second-guessed myself. ‘I shouldn’t have done this. I never should’ve 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," he said.
Dane also encouraged his daughters to fall in love, not just with a person, but "with something." For him, acting got him through "my darkest hours, my darkest days, my darkest year."
"Find your passion, your joy. Find the thing that makes you want to get up in the morning, drives you through the entire day," he said.
The Euphoria actor also told his daughters to find the right people and "allow them to find you. And then give yourselves to them." He shared how thankful he was for his inner circle, noting that they showed up most when he could no longer do the little things for himself.
"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," he shared.
For his final advice, Dane told his children to meet life's challenges head-on: To fight with every ounce of their being, but never to lose their dignity in the process.
"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," Dane told his daughters.
"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 said. "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. 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,” he ended.
Dane announced his ALS diagnosis in April. In June, he shared that he had lost the function of his right arm amid his health battle.
Aside from Grey's Anatomy, Dane appeared in multiple television shows, including Charmed. He also starred in the teen drama series Euphoria and the action drama series The Last Ship. His movie projects include Marley & Me, Valentine's Day, and Burlesque.