Eric Dane’s girlfriend Janell Shirtcliff shares sad tribute days after his death
Eric Dane's girlfriend, Janell Shirtcliff, has paid tribute to the late actor by sharing photos of their memories together on social media.
The heartbreaking news broke on Thursday (19 February) that the Grey's Anatomy star, who was best known for playing Dr Mark Sloan in the medical TV drama, had died aged 53 following an almost-year-long battle with ALS.
Dane announced in April last year that he had been diagnosed with the rare degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a degenerative and progressive type of motor neurone disease which causes muscle weakness in the arms and legs.
A heart-wrenching statement shared by his family, announcing his death, said that Dane 'spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the centre of his world'.
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The actor is survived by his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and their two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14.
Dane split from Rebecca in 2017; however, they never finalised their divorce and called it off altogether just before he revealed he had ALS.
They remained close friends and co-parents, but went on to date other people, with Dane becoming involved with Shirtcliff.
According to E! News, the two debuted their romance in June, two months after the Grey's Anatomy star first shared his ALS diagnosis.
And now, in the wake of his passing, the American filmmaker and photographer has taken to social media to share a collection of photographs from their time together.
In a series of Instagram Story posts on 21 February, Shirtcliff shared a series of photos, including a candid black-and-white photo of the pair, as well as a sweet shot of Dane kissing her on the forehead.
A video showed Shirtcliff driving Dane through what seemed to be a desert as they sang the Dire Straits song 'Money for Nothing' together.
Another selfie showed Dane sweetly kissing his girlfriend on the shoulder, as well as a black-and-white snap of him getting a tattoo.
In June, the couple attended Dane's last-ever red carpet together, which was for the Los Angeles premiere of the Prime Video crime drama Countdown.
It emerged after Dane's death that he had recorded a poignant last interview for Netflix, which included his heartbreaking final words to his wife and teenage daughters, as part of their new series Famous Last Words.
The streaming platform announced the one-hour-long episode’s release on 20 February following his death, after the actor recorded it with the understanding that it would only be shared with the world after he passed.
In the interview, he said, “I will never, by the time anybody sees this, have fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca.
“She’s the mother of my children, and the whole weight of thinking about it was so organic and fortuitous."
Topics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, Instagram, Social Media, Grey's Anatomy
Madison Burgess