Eric Dane's girlfriend breaks silence after star's heartbreaking death following battle with ALS
The girlfriend of Eric Dane has paid tribute to the actor following his death after a diagnosis amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease.
Dane had announced his diagnosis with the condition last year, and his family announced that he had passed away at the age of 53 on Thursday (19 February).
The actor's girlfriend Janell Shirtcliff paid tribute to him by sharing a series of memories of Dane on her Instagram account, including pictures of them together.
According to Entertainment Tonight, the two had 'been in an on-and-off relationship for over three years' with them making their relationship public by appearing together at the Countdown premiere, and she had stood by him over his ALS diagnosis, which he went public with it.
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"Eric asked Janell to be there for him during this time, and she wanted to show up for him," they quoted a source as telling them.
Dane had been married to Rebecca Gayheart and they had two children together, they had tied the knot in 2004 before she filed for divorce in 2018 and they had been separated since then.
However, in March last year a month before Dane announced his ALS diagnosis they called off their divorce.
Last November she told the Broad Ideas podcast she wanted to teach their children to be around for family 'when times are at their worst'.
She said: "We tell them, ‘We show up for people no matter what. He is our family. He is your father'."
Gayheart said their dynamic had been 'super complicated' and was 'just showing up and trying to be there' for her family.
She explained that she still had a 'familial love' for Dane, while she had also described them as being the 'best of friends' and 'great co-parents'.
Before his death the actor had become a prominent advocate for raising awareness over ALS, with him working to raise money into research into the disease which currently has no cure.
He explained that his first symptom was a feeling of weakness in one hand which he 'didn’t really think anything of' at first, as he told Good Morning America that he got worried when it hadn't gone away after a few weeks.
Visiting specialists to try and figure out what was going on, it would be nine months before Dane was diagnosed with ALS.
By the summer of 2025 he said his right arm 'completely stopped working' as the degenerative disease progressed and he could start feeling a weakness in his left arm as well.
"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," his family said in a statement.
"He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time."
Joe Harker