Rebecca Gayheart honors 16th birthday of Billie, daughter with late actor Eric Dane, 12 days after his death
Rebecca Gayheart honors 16th birthday of Billie, daughter with late actor Eric Dane, 12 days after his death
Raechal ShewfeltWed, March 4, 2026 at 5:24 AM UTC
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Billie Dane and Rebecca Gayheart in 2022Credit: Rich Polk/Getty
The late Eric Dane was certainly remembered as his daughter Billie, whom he shared with wife Rebecca Gayheart, turned 16 on Tuesday.
“Happy sweet 16 to the sweetest girl — mommy loves you to the moon and back unconditionally forever and ever,” Gayheart posted to her Instagram Stories on March 3. She showcased multiple photos of her daughter through the years, some of them with Dane, set to songs including the Fleetwood Mac classic "Landslide."
Rebecca Gayheart wishes daughter Billie a happy birthday on InstagramCredit: Rebecca Gayheart/Instagram
The late actor died Feb. 19, following a struggle with ALS. Dane was best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy, as well as his work on HBO's Euphoria. He was 53.
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Dane and Gayheart married in 2004, before welcoming daughters BIllie and Georgia, 14.
Rebecca Gayheart wishes daughter Billie a happy birthday with an Instagram tributeCredit: Rebecca Gayheart/Instagram
While Gayheart filed for divorce from the Grey's Anatomy star in 2018, she asked to have the request dismissed in 2025. Dane announced a month after Gayheart's initial filing that he had been diagnosed with ALS.
Gayheart discussed how Dane's diagnosis had affected his daughters in a piece she wrote for The Cut in December 2025.
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"It's such a formative time in their lives," Gayheart said. "They're trying to individuate while they're having to deal with this really huge loss and anticipatory grief."
She lamented that she was unable to help her children cope with what lies ahead of them.
"No matter how prepared you are, or how much I prepare the girls, or how much Eric prepares himself, he'll wake up one morning and there's something else that is an obstacle, or he's lost the ability to do one more thing — it just comes out of nowhere," Gayheart wrote. "It's a terrible, terrible disease."
Dane revealed in June 2025 that ALS had already taken much of his movement.
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart with daughter Billie in 2016Credit: Amanda Edwards/WireImage
"My left side is functioning, my right side has completely stopped working," he told Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. "I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won't have my left hand either. It's sobering."
In the wake of his death, the medical drama Dane was known for paid tribute to him, noting that his "remarkable talent and unforgettable presence on Grey’s Anatomy left a lasting impact on audiences around the world, and his courage and grace during his battle with ALS inspired so many."
on Entertainment Weekly
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