It’s only been a few days since Eric Dane passed, but honestly, it still doesn’t feel real. Fans all over are grieving the loss of the actor who made his mark as Dr. Mark Sloan on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and, more recently, as Cal Jacobs on ‘Euphoria’. On February 19, 2026, at just 53, Dane lost his fight with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a brutal disease he’d only talked about publicly less than a year before.Shortly after he passed away, Netflix released Dane’s final interview for their ‘Famous Last Words’ series. It’s raw, heartfelt, and, at times, painfully honest. In it, Dane opens up about his life, his legacy, and most of all, Rebecca Gayheart, his ex-wife and someone he clearly never stopped loving.
Eric Dane’s ‘Famous Last Words’: What he said
Talking about Rebecca, Dane didn’t pretend things were perfect or try to sugarcoat their split. They married in 2004, had two daughters, and separated in 2018. Still, he said, “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.” One can hear the genuine honesty, and maybe a bit of regret, in his words.He went on: “I will never, by the time anyone sees this, have fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca.” It’s a line that sticks with you. For Dane, Rebecca wasn’t just his ex; she was the mother of his kids, Billie and Georgia, now teens, and the person he once saw as his forever.Dane remembered the start of it all, calling it “so organic and fortuitous.” He actually met Rebecca when she was engaged to someone else. Right away, he told her friend, “I’m going to marry that girl.” Her friend didn’t buy it; she said there was no chance that she’d ever leave her fiancé. But four years later, Dane and Gayheart did get married. He just knew: “I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life where it’s supposed to happen.“
Who was Eric Dane?
Looking back at Dane’s career, it’s easy to see why people loved him. He played Dr. Mark Sloan, aka ‘McSteamy’ on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, and the role made him a household name. Then came ‘Euphoria’, where he blew people away with how complex and real he could make a character. He wasn’t just a TV star; He was an actor’s actor, respected by fans and colleagues.
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart: Looking back at their romance
Growing in parallel with his Hollywood career, Eric Dane’s story with Rebecca was always there, running in the background. They met in the early 2000s, fell hard, and built a family. Together, Eric and Rebecca welcomed two daughters, Billie and Georgia, who became the center of their world. And even after their marriage ended, they stayed close.After 14 years of marriage, they separated in 2018, but their relationship remained deeply connected through mutual respect and shared parenthood. In fact, in March 2025, just a year before Dane passed away, Rebecca asked the court to dismiss their pending divorce, a sign that, through everything, their connection never really faded. They faced Dane’s illness together as a family.
