Janell Shirtcliff shares intimate Instagram tribute after Eric Dane’s death
Photographer janell shirtcliff offered a private look at her relationship with actor Eric Dane days after his death, posting photos and clips that captured candid moments, family interactions and their arrival together at a recent premiere.
What Janell Shirtcliff posted on Feb. 21
On Feb. 21, Janell Shirtcliff used Instagram Story posts to share a string of images and clips of Eric Dane. The posts included a black-and-white photograph of him smiling while getting a tattoo on his left arm and a shot of him posing in a white T-shirt and a tan cowboy hat alongside a horse. She also posted intimate moments from their time together, such as a photo of Dane planting a kiss on the side of her head as they posed on a set of stairs and a selfie of him leaning down toward her shoulder.
Her work as a photographer and who she’s photographed
Janell Shirtcliff is a photographer who has captured portraits of stars including Post Malone, Jenna Ortega and Dua Lipa. In the posts honoring Dane she mixed professional-style images with personal snapshots that showed both posed pictures and casual, affectionate moments.
Footage of a child directing a shoot with an Euphoria star
The content also offered a glimpse at Dane’s bond with one of Janell’s kids. In one clip, the youngster held up a camera while directing an impromptu photo shoot with the Euphoria star, instructing Dane, “I want you to look over there at mom, ” and then telling him to “smile. ”
How their relationship appeared publicly: June premiere of Countdown
The pair seemingly debuted their romance in June, two months after Dane had shared his ALS diagnosis. They arrived together at the Los Angeles premiere of his crime drama Countdown, sharing a laugh and walking hand-in-hand down the red carpet. Their representatives were contacted for comment at the time but did not respond.
Family status, marriage history and Dane’s final interview
Despite the apparent courtship with Janell, Eric Dane remained legally married to estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart. The couple share two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, and had separated in 2017. In his final interview for the Feb. 20 episode of Famous Last Words, Dane said, “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, ” adding, “She’s the mother of my children, and the whole weight of thinking about it was so organic and fortuitous. ”
The couple never revealed exactly how they first connected; Dane called the story “probably one of the least interesting stories in the world, ” recalling a brief exchange: “'You wanna go out?' 'Yeah, sure. ' Ten months later, we were married. ” Less than one year after they began dating, they exchanged vows in Las Vegas. After Dane announced he was leaving the drama The Last Ship because of a battle with depression, Gayheart posted a supportive throwback on Instagram captioned, “Way back when I met my Monday man crush, ” and later cited “irreconcilable differences” when she filed for divorce, seeking spousal support and joint legal and physical custody of their daughters Billie and Georgia.
Eric Dane’s death and immediate aftermath
Eric Dane died on Feb. 19 at age 53 after a battle with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). In the days that followed, Janell Shirtcliff’s social posts offered a private record of moments they shared, blending personal photos, family interaction and public appearances into a public tribute.
