Heartfelt Tribute: Janell Shirtcliff Honors Late Eric Dane, 53, with Touching Message

In the wake of Eric Dane’s passing on February 19 at the age of 53, following his struggle with ALS, Janell Shirtcliff, his girlfriend, is sharing a heartfelt glimpse into their relationship. Through Instagram Stories posted on February 21, she has opened a window into their world, offering snapshots that capture both the intimate and everyday moments of their life together.

Among the images, Shirtcliff shared a touching black-and-white photograph of Dane, caught in a moment of joy mid-tattoo session. Another snapshot reveals him at ease, wearing a white tee and cowboy hat, standing beside a horse. These images, accompanied by tender moments of public affection and scenes of Dane’s connection with Shirtcliff’s child, reveal the depth of their relationship, which often unfolded quietly away from the spotlight.

These posts arrive shortly after Dane’s death, offering a poignant tribute and showcasing a love story that endured alongside his battle with illness and a complex personal life. One particularly endearing memory includes a video of Shirtcliff’s child orchestrating a spontaneous photo shoot with the Euphoria actor.

In the video, the youngster playfully instructs Dane, saying, “I want you to look over there at mom,” before encouraging him to “smile.” These shared moments, now preserved digitally, speak to a relationship filled with warmth and cherished connections, illustrating how deeply intertwined their lives were.

“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.”