Eric Dane told his daughters to ‘fight until your last breath’ in his last words; Patrick Dempsey opens up his last days | Hollywood News
4 min readFeb 21, 2026 11:59 AM IST
Eric Dane, best known for his role on Grey’s Anatomy, passed away on February 19. His fans and co-stars have been expressing their grief on the actor’s passing and recently, Patrick Dempsey, who co-starred with Eric on Grey’s Anatomy, shared some heartbreaking details about the actor’s final days. He revealed that Dane, who had been battling ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) for over a year, was bedridden and had begun losing his ability to speak.
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Eric was bedridden, was losing ability to speak
Speaking on Virgin Radio UK, Patrick shared that he had remained in constant touch with Eric and had spoken to him just a week before his death. Talking about Eric’s last days, he said, “He was really starting to lose his ability to speak, he was bed-ridden and it was very hard for him to swallow. The quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly.”
Patrick went on to call Eric the “funniest man” and shared that the late actor “brought so much fun” to the set during their time working together. He also admitted that Eric’s physique often made him feel unfit by comparison. Speaking about Eric’s suffering from ALS, Patrick said, “He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease in those remaining days, which was really brave him of him to do,” he said. “It just reminds us that we have to celebrate every day like it’s our last day.”
Johnny Depp gave his LA property to Eric almost rent free
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Hollywood star Johnny Depp came to Eric’s rescue during his final days. According to E! News Online, Depp allowed Eric and his family to live at his Hollywood Hills property almost free of charge. He reportedly offered a ‘pay-what-you-can’ arrangement, as he wanted to reduce the financial burden on the actor so that Eric could focus on his health and family.
Eric Dane’s last words
Netflix has released Eric Dane’s final interview following his death. In the clip, Eric is seen leaving an emotional message for his children, reflecting on what he learned from his life and how his love for acting kept him motivated. He begins the video by fondly recalling family trips they took together.
Sharing life lessons with his kids, he said, “Billie and Georgia, you are my heart. You are my everything. Good night. I love you. Those are my last words.” He also said, “The past contains regret, the future remains unknown, so you have to live now. The present is all you have. Treasure it. Cherish every moment.”
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He added, “Secondly, fall in love. Not necessarily with a person althought I do recommend it, but fall in love with something. Find your passion, your joy. Find something that makes you want to get up in the morning and drives you through the entire day. I fell in love for the first time when I was about your age, I fell in love with acting. Eventually, it got me through my darkest hours, my darkest days, my darkest year.”
The actor also advised his children to make meaningful friendships and learn how to fight in life. “Fight until your last breath,” he said.
