widow Rebecca Gayheart found time amid family tragedy to celebrate their daughter's 'sweet 16' on Tuesday.
The 54-year-old actress shared a bevy of sweet childhood photos of her daughter Billie in her Instagram Stories to mark her 16th birthday.
Among the throwback images was a snap featuring Gayheart's late husband, who died on February 19 at 53 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Gayheart celebrated her daughter's birthday just a day after it was revealed that she had been , despite the fact that the two had been legally separated for seven years prior to his ALS diagnosis.
Gayheart shared a cute photo of Billie beaming while wearing a pink flower in her hair and enjoying a pink ice cream cone in an ice cream parlor.
'Happy Sweet 16 to the sweetest girl — mommy loves you to the moon and back unconditionally forever and ever 💖💖💖💖,' she captioned the photo.
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Eric Dane's widow Rebecca Gayheart found time amid family tragedy to celebrate their daughter's 'sweet 16' on Tuesday. The 54-year-old actress shared a bevy of sweet childhood photos of her daughter Billie in her Instagram Stories to mark her 16th birthday
Among the throwback images was a snap featuring Gayheart's late husband, who died on February 19 at 53 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease; pictured together in 2010 in LA
Gayheart's follow-up post was a video that featured a parade of photos of Billie with her parents, with each new photo layered over the previous images.
The heartstring-tugging post was soundtracked with Stevie Nicks's vocals from Fleetwood Mac's Landslide.
Most of the photos featured Billie solo or with Gayheart, but two images featured Dane.
Gayheart shared a cute photo of Billie beaming while wearing a pink flower in her hair and enjoying a pink ice cream cone in an ice cream parlor
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In one, the late Grey's Anatomy star was absent his trademark facial hair as he gazed into the camera playfully while Billie sat on his lap and smiled
In 2016, Dane revealed to Harry Connick Jr. that Billie was named after his late father, who died by suicide when he was just seven. 'Whether it was a boy or a girl, the firstborn was gonna be a Billie,' he said
Dane also joked during the interview that he and his wife had settled on a name that was 'straight down the middle' between unusual and classic options.
Later, he revealed that Billie's name was a tribute to his father, who died by suicide when he was just seven.
'[Billie's] named after my father ... Whether it was a boy or a girl, the firstborn was gonna be a Billie,' he told Harry Connick Jr. in 2016.
Fans of the late Eric Dane were already aware he spent his final days 'surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife Rebecca Gayheart and his two beautiful daughters' due to the family's official statement (pictured November 9)
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And according to his newly released death certificate, the amicable exes were indeed still married when he died, age 53, on February 19 from respiratory failure with ALS as an underlying cause (pictured in 2015)
Had Gayheart and the Actor Award winner — who was cremated last Friday — never legally separated between 2018-2025, they would've been married for 21 straight years.
However, Dane had been dating photographer Janell Shirtcliff since 2022 while the Jawbreaker alum .
In Netflix's new documentary Famous Last Words, which was secretly taped in November, Dane directly addressed his teenage daughters.
'Billie and Georgia, these words are for you,' he said. 'I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall we had a blast, didn't we?
'I remember all the times we spent at the beach, the two of you, me and mom — in Santa Monica, Hawaii, Mexico. I see you now playing in the ocean for hours, my water babies.
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'Those days, pun intended, were heaven. I want to tell you four things I've learned from this disease, and I hope you don't just listen to me. I hope you'll hear me.'
The San Francisco-born actor went on to instruct his children to cherish every moment, fall in love or find your passion, choose your friends wisely and fight until your last breath.
'The two of you are different people. But you're both strong and resilient. You inherited resiliency from me,' Dane continued.
The 54-year-old widow is also listed as the beneficiary of Dane's GoFundMe page, which raised $476,786 of a $500,000 goal to help 'provide stability during this incredibly difficult time and in the future for Eric's wonderful daughters'
Had Gayheart and the Actor Award winner - who was cremated last Friday - never legally separated between 2018-2025, they would've been married for 21 straight years (pictured in 2014)
However, Dane had been dating photographer Janell Shirtcliff (R, pictured June 18) since 2022 while the Jawbreaker alum publicly kissed Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton, 78, at E Baldi in Beverly Hills on December 3
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Heartbreakingly, this Tuesday will mark their daughter Billie's sweet 16 birthday and they're also parents of 14-year-old daughter Georgia (pictured in 2022)
In Netflix's new documentary Famous Last Words secretly taped last November, Dane told his children four things he learned from the incurable degenerative neurological disorder
The San Francisco-born actor instructed his daughters to cherish every moment, fall in love or find your passion, choose your friends wisely and fight until your last breath (pictured July 24)
Dane continued: 'I hope I've demonstrated that you can face anything. You can face the end of your days. You can face hell with dignity. Fight, girls, and hold your heads high'
The Countdown star concluded his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the eight-episode third season of Euphoria, which premieres April 12 on HBO Max
'I hope I've demonstrated that you can face anything. You can face the end of your days. You can face hell with dignity. Fight, girls, and hold your heads high. Billie and Georgia, you are my heart. You are my everything. Good night. I love you. Those are my last words.'
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On average, ALS patients reportedly live two to five years following their first symptoms, but FDA-approved medications and physical/speech therapies might slow down the progression of the disorder.
The Countdown star concluded his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the eight-episode third season of Euphoria, which premieres April 12 on HBO Max.
Sam Levinson's drug-fueled drama will welcome newcomers Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch and Kadeem Hardison in the new season.
Dane famously got his big break portraying plastic surgeon Mark 'McSteamy' Sloan from 2006–2012 on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
Odessa A'zion, Tom Arnold and Rob Riggle are also featured in the LA-set flick about a grieving entrepreneur.
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The former Noxzema girl hasn't had an acting gig since her quick cameo as Brad Pitt's doomed onscreen wife Billie Booth in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 revisionist fairytale, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.
