What to Know
One last time, Eric Dane looks into the camera. “Billie and Georgia, you are my heart,” he says. “You are my everything. Good night. I love you. Those are my last words.”
The moment — intimate, unguarded and devastating — is now streaming on Netflix as part of “Famous Last Words,” a documentary series hosted by Brad Falchuk that films cultural figures under the agreement their interviews will air only after their deaths. The series debuted last fall with a posthumous interview featuring primatologist Jane Goodall.
Dane, the San Francisco-born actor best known as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” died Thursday, Feb. 19, after what his family called “a courageous battle with ALS.” He was 53.
Nearly 10 months earlier, he had publicly disclosed his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the fatal neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Filmed in November, Dane’s 50-minute interview ends with a direct-to-camera message to his teenage daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, whom he shared with his wife, actor Rebecca Gayheart.
“These words are for you,” he begins. “I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall, we had a blast, didn’t we?”
He recalls beach days in Santa Monica, Hawaii and Mexico. “Those days, pun intended, were heaven,” he says.
Then he offers four lessons drawn from living with ALS.
“First, live now. Right now. In the present. It’s hard, but I learned to do that,” Dane says. “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.
“Second, fall in love,” he continues. “Not necessarily with a person, although I do recommend that as well. But fall in love with something. 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 tells his daughters he fell in love with acting at their age.
“My work doesn’t define me, but it excites me,” he says. “Find something that excites you. Find your path, your purpose, your dream. Then go for it. Really go for it.”
His third lesson: “Choose your friends wisely.”
And his fourth? “Fight with every ounce of your being, and with dignity. 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’s family confirmed his death in a statement released Thursday.
“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,” the statement said. “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight.”
ALS progressively attacks nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement. About 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people live two to five years after symptoms develop, though some survive longer.
Dane revealed in April 2025 that he had been diagnosed after months of worsening symptoms, including weakness in his right hand. In a subsequent television interview, he said he had lost the use of one arm.
“I will never forget those three letters,” he said of the diagnosis.
In the months that followed, he became a public advocate for research funding and awareness. He served on the board of Target ALS and supported the nonprofit I Am ALS, which called him “a fierce advocate” and “a true champion in the movement to end ALS.”
Tributes poured in across Hollywood on Thursday and the following morning.
Patrick Dempsey, who starred opposite Dane on “Grey’s Anatomy,” said on “The Chris Evans Breakfast Show” that he had spoken to Dane about a week before his death.
“I feel really so sad for his children,” Dempsey said, adding that Dane “was really starting to lose his ability to speak.”
He went on to describe Dane as “the funniest man — he was such a joy to work with. I want to just remember him in that spirit because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it.”
Shonda Rhimes, creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” called him “a gifted actor whose portrayal of Dr. Mark Sloan left an indelible mark on the series and on audiences around the world.”
HBO, where Dane played Cal Jacobs on “Euphoria,” said it was “deeply saddened” by his death. Posting a clip from the docuseries to her Instagram Stories, his “Euphoria” co-star Sydney Sweeney wrote “Forever will love you.”
Born Nov. 9, 1972, in San Francisco, Dane built a steady television career before breaking out as the charismatic plastic surgeon nicknamed “McSteamy,” a role he played from 2006 to 2012. He later appeared in “The Last Ship,” “Euphoria” and films including “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006) and “Burlesque” (2010).
But in his final public appearance, stripped of character and costume, he returned to the role that seemed to matter most: father.
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Aidin Vaziri; San Francisco Chronicle; (TNS) | © 2026 the San Francisco Chronicle. Visit www.sfchronicle.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
