Netflix’s Famous Last Words has released actor Eric Dane’s final interview before his death on Thursday at the age of 53.
Dane, who was being treated for ALS, left behind two daughters he shares with wife Rebecca Gayheart: Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14. He addressed them directly at the end of the interview, leaving them with “four things I’ve learned from this disease.”
Dane pleaded before starting, “I hope you don’t just listen to me. I hope you’ll hear me.”
“These words are for you. I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall we had a blast, didn’t we?” he said into the camera.
First, he told them, “Live now. Right now. In the present. It’s hard, but I learned to do that.”
“For years, I have been wandering around mentally and lost in my head for long chunks of time, wallowing and worrying in self-pity, shame, and doubt,” he continued. “I’ve replayed decisions, second-guessed myself. ‘I shouldn’t have done this. I never should’ve that.’ No more. Out of pure survival, I am forced to stay in the present. But I don’t want to be anywhere else. The past contains regrets. The future remains unknown. So you have to live now. The present is all you have. Treasure it. Cherish every moment.”
During the interview portion of the episode, the Grey’s Anatomy star talked extensively about his love for Gayheart, whom he married in 2004.
Gayheart filed for a divorce from Dane in 2018, but ultimately called it off, officially filing to dismiss the divorce proceedings last March. “We still love each other deeply. I just think we don’t want to live with each other,” Dane said. “I will have never, by the time anybody sees this, have fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca. She is the mother of my children.”
Dane instructed his daughters at the end to “fall in love,” and “not necessarily with a person, although I do recommend that as well.”
“Fall in love with something. Find your passion, your joy. Find the thing that makes you want to get up in the morning, drives you through the entire day,” he told them “I fell in love for the first time when I was about your age. I fell in love with acting. That love eventually got me through my darkest hours, my darkest days, my darkest year. I still love my work, I still look forward to it, I still want to get in front of a camera and play my part. My work doesn’t define me, but it excites me. Find something that excites you. Find your path, your purpose, your dream. Then go for it. Really go for it.”
Thirdly, “Choose your friends wisely,” he said. “Find your people and allow them to find you, and then give yourselves to them. The best of them will get back to you. No judgment, no conditions, no questions asked.”
And lastly, “Fight with every ounce of your being, and with dignity. When you face challenges, health or otherwise, fight. Never give up. Fight until your last breath. This disease is slowly taking my body, but it will never take my spirit.”
Dane signed off, “Billie and Georgia, you are my heart. You are my everything. Good night. I love you. Those are my last words.”
The actor died on Thursday, surrounded by family and friends, just 10 months after he revealed his diagnosis. According to a statement from his representative, “He 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.”
