Rebecca Gayheart marked a bittersweet milestone this week when she celebrated daughter Billie’s 16th birthday just 12 days after Billie’s father, Eric Dane, died.
The Grey’s Anatomy The actor died on February 19 at the age of 53 after a public battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Gayheart took to Instagram Stories on March 3 to wish her daughter on her special day.
She wrote: “Happy sweet 16 to the sweetest girl – mommy loves you to the moon and back unconditionally forever and ever.”
The posts featured childhood photos of Billie, including moments with Dane, set to Fleetwood Mac’s Landslidewhich emphasizes the family’s mixture of joy and sorrow.
Dane and Gayheart tied the knot in 2004 and welcomed two daughters: Billie (16) and Georgia (14).
Although Gayheart filed for divorce in 2018, she filed to dismiss the filing in 2025 after Dane disclosed his ALS diagnosis.
In a December 2025 essay for The cutreflected Gayheart on how Danes’ illness shaped their daughters’ lives.
She said: “They’re trying to individuate while they have to deal with this really big loss and anticipatory grief.”
For unversed, the official cause of death of Euphoria star has been confirmed to be in respiratory failure.
The latest find came around the time Danes was eulogized in episode 11 of season 22 of Grey’s Anatomy with a heartfelt montage.
