What did Eric Dane say to his daughters?

A recorded goodbye meant to guide and comfort

In the months before he died, the actor made a private, long-form recording intended for his two teenage daughters. The taped message, released after his death, is part of a posthumous interview project and the clearest window into what he wanted them to carry forward. In it he looks back on his life, reiterates his love and urges them toward values he felt mattered most.

He framed the conversation as a set of life lessons and left at least one short, intimate valediction that has been publicly reported. Family members and his representative say the message was deliberately personal — aimed at helping the girls process his illness and eventual death — and that he recorded it knowing it would be heard after he was gone.

Why it matters

• It gives a direct, human glimpse into how a parent with a terminal diagnosis chose to prepare his children.
• The recording arrives amid broad public reaction to his ALS announcement and death, amplifying interest in care, advocacy and the charity response around the disease.
• It has prompted renewed attention to the late actor’s work and the ways families navigate illness in the public eye.

What else is clear

• The message was recorded as part of a larger interview project that his family has allowed to be released posthumously.
• His ex and co-parent reportedly worked with a family therapist to prepare the children for his decline, and loved ones say he aimed to leave them with practical guidance as well as emotional reassurance.

Some details remain private by design — the recording was intended for his daughters first and foremost — but the public fragments have underscored how he approached the end of life with tenderness and a desire to teach.