<\/p>\n
Eric Dane left behind a complicated family situation that included his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and a girlfriend named Janell Shirtcliff.<\/p>\n
After Dane was diagnosed with ALS, Gayheart decided to withdraw her divorce filing, and she explained the move on the Broad Ideas<\/em> podcast <\/a>last November.<\/p>\n Gayheart explained that she withdrew the filing to send a message to the couple’s two daughters. “We tell them, \u2018We show up for people no matter what. He is our family. He is your father,\u2019\u201d Gayheart told the podcasters. The couple had daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, together.<\/p>\n Dane died<\/a> on February 19 at the age of 53 from ALS.<\/p>\n Gayheart and Dane were separated for seven years before she withdrew the divorce filing, according to Page Six.<\/em><\/a> They married in 2004 and were separated for 13 years before their separation, Page Six <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n She told the podcasters that the couple’s daughters were “taken care of\u201d even though \u201cthings are hard and sad and bad.\u201d<\/p>\n She described her relationship with Dane as “super complicated,” and added, “I\u2019m just showing up and trying to be there for [my kids]. I guess time will tell.”<\/p>\n https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/eric-danes-gf-janell-shirtcliff-breaks-silence-after-his-death-at-age-53/<\/p>\n<\/div>\n (https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/eric-danes-gf-janell-shirtcliff-breaks-silence-after-his-death-at-age-53/)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n In an essay she wrote for The Cut,<\/em><\/a> Gayheart revealed that the estranged couple’s \u201clove may not be romantic, but it\u2019s a familial love\u201d and said that \u201cs*** went crazy\u201d during their relationship. She wrote in that essay that they had both dated other people during their separation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year, the girls and I have spent a lot of time at Eric\u2019s house, which is about a 12-minute drive away from our home,\u201d she wrote. \u201cWe have a lot of meals together. We do a lot of drop-by visits \u2014 well, I don\u2019t just drop by. I always call and say, \u2018I\u2019m coming up the hill\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019m dropping Georgia off.’\u201d<\/p>\n During Dane’s illness, \u201che made it very clear that he wants to spend time with his family as much as possible,” she wrote in the essay. \u201cEric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I\u2019m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me,” she wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cI will never, by the time anybody sees this, would have ever fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca,\u201d Dane said on\u00a0Famous Last Words<\/a><\/em>. \u201cShe\u2019s the mother of my children, and the whole weight of thinking about it was so organic and fortuitous.\u201d<\/p>\n Gayheart was not the only woman to appear fond of Dane. He also had a girlfriend named Janell Shirtcliff. She describes herself <\/a>on Instagram as a director and photographer.<\/p>\n Shirtcliff posted a series of photos and videos showing her with Dane to her Instagram story <\/a>after he died.<\/p>\n According to TMZ<\/em><\/a>, Dane and Shirtcliff were together for years but kept a low profile, despite a red carpet appearance.<\/p>\n \u201cWith heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,\u201d his family told Us<\/em><\/a> in a statement. \u201cHe 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. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Related:<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This story was originally published by Men’s Journal<\/a> on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment<\/a> section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\nRebecca Gayheart Described How She Decided to Be There for Eric Dane Despite Their Separation<\/h2>\n
Eric Dane’s Girlfriend, Janell Shirtcliff, Posted a Tribute to Him After His Death<\/h2>\n