Janell Shirtcliff Shares Intimate Tribute as Eric Dane’s Death Reshapes Family, Final Words and ALS Awareness

Why this matters now: janell shirtcliff’s posts turned private moments into a public snapshot of grief and relationship life just days after Eric Dane’s death at 53 from ALS. Her images, his last interview and the timeline around his diagnosis alter how fans, family and advocacy conversations will remember his final months.

Janell Shirtcliff’s tribute and who feels it first

Janell Shirtcliff shared several photos on social media on Feb. 21 that offered candid glimpses of her relationship with Eric Dane. The photographer — known for portraits of Post Malone, Jenna Ortega and Dua Lipa — posted black-and-white and color images: Dane smiling while getting a tattoo on his left arm; him in a white T-shirt and tan cowboy hat beside a horse; a moment where he kissed the side of her head on a set of stairs; and a selfie of him leaning toward her shoulder. One clip showed a child from Janell’s household directing an impromptu shoot, asking Dane to look at mom and to smile. Here’s the part that matters: those images immediately place family dynamics and personal memory at the center of public reaction, affecting close relatives, Janell’s children and fans who followed his career.

What the social posts revealed and the brief timeline around the relationship

The posts appeared after Dane’s death on Feb. 19 at age 53, following his battle with ALS. The pair are publicly linked on the timeline: Dane announced his ALS diagnosis in April 2025, and their romance seemingly debuted in June, roughly two months after that announcement. They arrived together at the Los Angeles premiere of the crime drama Countdown and walked the red carpet hand-in-hand. Representatives were contacted for comment at the time of the relationship but did not respond.

Eric Dane’s final interview, his words and his advocacy

Dane gave a final on-camera interview that aired Feb. 20 as part of a program titled Famous Last Words; that conversation included reflections about his relationships. In that interview he said he would never have fallen in love with another woman as deeply as he had with his estranged wife, and he described Rebecca Gayheart as the mother of his children. After his April 2025 diagnosis, Dane also became an advocate for awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a focus that framed his public statements in his final year.

What ALS is and why the diagnosis matters in this context

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, was the cause of Dane’s death. The disease affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing progressive loss of muscle control; over time upper and lower motor neurons stop working and die, and nerves no longer trigger specific muscles, eventually leading to paralysis. People with ALS may develop problems with mobility, speaking, swallowing and breathing. The exact cause is unknown, though a small number of cases are inherited. ALS is rare: there were nearly 33, 000 estimated cases in 2022, and researchers project cases will exceed 36, 000 by 2030. The illness is slightly more common in men and tends to strike between ages 40 and 60. It is called Lou Gehrig’s disease after the Hall of Fame player who was diagnosed in 1939 on his 36th birthday and died in 1941; Gehrig long remained the public face of the disease.

Family status, separation and legal steps left on record

Despite his relationship with Janell, Dane remained legally married to estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart. The two separated in 2017 and share daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14. Their earliest court filings included claims that Gayheart cited irreconcilable differences when she filed for divorce and sought spousal support as well as joint legal and physical custody of the children. Less than one year after dating, Dane and Gayheart exchanged vows in Las Vegas; Dane later described their early courtship as an unadorned, simple beginning. After Dane announced he was leaving the TNT drama The Last Ship because of his battle with depression, Gayheart publicly demonstrated support for him on social media.

Key takeaways

• Janell Shirtcliff’s social posts on Feb. 21 documented candid, affectionate moments and a child’s interaction with Dane, highlighting private family ties now in public view.
• Dane died on Feb. 19 at 53 from ALS, a diagnosis he announced in April 2025 and about which he spoke publicly while raising awareness.
• The pair’s romance became visible in June, and they appeared together at a Los Angeles premiere for the crime drama Countdown, walking hand-in-hand.
• Dane remained legally married to Rebecca Gayheart despite separation in 2017; they share daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, and divorce filings referenced irreconcilable differences and requests for spousal support and joint custody.

What’s easy to miss is how those social snapshots compress several public threads — a recent diagnosis, an emergent relationship, longstanding family ties and an advocacy arc — into a short, emotionally loaded moment. The real question now is how the images, the final interview and renewed attention to ALS will shape remembrance and advocacy going forward.