@Tweetskoor Published Feb. 22, 2026, 7:30 a.m. ET Where to Stream: Grey's Anatomy Powered by Reelgood More On: Eric Dane New ‘Famous Last Words’ Episode Shares Eric Dane’s Touching Statement To His Daughters: “We Had A Blast, Didn’t We?” R.I.P. Eric Dane: Hollywood Mourns The Loss of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s “McSteamy” When Does Season 3 of ‘Euphoria’ Come Out? Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Americana’ on Starz, an Overly Quirky Quasi-Western That Hangs Sydney Sweeney Out to Dry Following the February 19 death of Eric Dane at age 53 after a battle with ALS, the late actor’s girlfriend Janell Shirtcliff is offering a deeply personal look at their relationship.
In a series of Instagram Stories posted February 21, Shirtcliff shared candid snapshots of the former Grey’s Anatomy star — from a black-and-white photo of him smiling mid-tattoo to a relaxed shot in a white tee and cowboy hat beside a horse — along with tender PDA moments and a glimpse at his bond with her child.
Her posts arrive just days after the actor’s passing, painting a portrait of a relationship that unfolded quietly in the public eye while Dane continued to navigate both his illness and a complicated personal life.
Among the memories, Shirtcliff included a sweet video of one of her kids directing an impromptu photo shoot with the Euphoria star.
“I want you to look over there at mom,” the youngster instructed Eric in the clip before commanding him to “smile.”
Dane and Shirtcliff appeared to go public with their romance last June, two months after he revealed his ALS diagnosis. The pair walked the red carpet together at the Los Angeles premiere of his Prime Video crime drama Countdown, laughing and holding hands.
Despite the relationship, Dane remained legally married to estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart, with whom he shared daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14. Even amid their separation, he spoke warmly about her in his final interview.
“I 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,” Eric told Brad Falchuck on the February 20 episode of Famous Last Words. “She’s the mother of my children, and the whole weight of thinking about it was so organic and fortuitous.”
The pair — who married in Las Vegas less than a year after they started dating — split in 2017, with Gayheart citing “irreconcilable differences.” In a joint statement at the time, they emphasized their commitment to co-parenting.
“After 14 years together we have decided that ending our marriage is the best decision for our family,” the duo said. “We will continue our friendship and work as a team to co-parent our two beautiful girls as they are the most important thing in the world to us.”
