Despite his relationship with Shirtcliff, Dane remained legally married to Rebecca Gayheart
Eric Dane’s girlfriend Janell Shirtcliff has shared a personal tribute days after the actor’s death at the age of 53 following a battle with ALS.
The Grey’s Anatomy alum died on February 19 after living with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. On February 21, Shirtcliff posted a series of Instagram Stories offering a glimpse into their relationship through candid photographs and short video clips.
Photo: Instagram
Photo: Instagram
Among the images was a black-and-white photograph of Dane smiling while receiving a tattoo on his left arm, as well as a picture of him in a white T-shirt and tan cowboy hat standing beside a horse. Shirtcliff, a photographer known for capturing portraits of Post Malone, Jenna Ortega and Dua Lipa, also shared intimate moments of the couple together.
One image showed Dane kissing the side of her head as they stood on a staircase, while another selfie captured him leaning towards her shoulder. The tribute also included a video of Dane interacting with one of Shirtcliff’s children during an impromptu photo shoot. “I want you to look over there at mom,” the youngster told him before adding, “smile.”
Dane and Shirtcliff appeared to make their relationship public in June, two months after he revealed his ALS diagnosis. The pair attended the Los Angeles premiere of his Prime Video crime drama Countdown together, walking hand in hand along the red carpet.
Despite his relationship with Shirtcliff, Dane remained legally married to Rebecca Gayheart, from whom he separated in 2017. The former couple share two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14.
In his final interview for the February 20 episode of Famous Last Words, Dane reflected on his relationship with Gayheart. “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,” he said. “She’s the mother of my children, and the whole weight of thinking about it was so organic and fortuitous.”
