Eric Dane’s youngest daughter, Georgia, had to save her dad after he nearly drowned.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum had been vacationing in Antigua following his Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis in 2025, but found himself unable to swim and had to be rescued from the water by Georgia and her friend.
Dane’s first call after he was safe was to his estranged wife, Rebecca Gayheart.
“Georgia hands me my phone,” Dane wrote in his upcoming posthumous memoir, “My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments,” per an excerpt obtained by People.
“‘I can’t swim, Rebecca,’ I say. ‘I can’t swim.’” he added.
“She explodes into tears and I weep with her. We cry together. Finally, the tears slow, become reduced to gasps, and when we’re both cried out, Rebecca says, ‘I was afraid of this day. I knew it would come. I’ve been dreading it.’”
“The Last Ship” star spoke about the harrowing moment on “Good Morning America” in June 2025.
“When I jumped into the ocean that day and realized I couldn’t swim and generate enough power to get myself back to the boat. I thought, ‘Oh God,’” he told Diane Sawyer.
“And I realized in that moment I’m not safe in the water anymore.”
“She [Georgia] dragged me back to the boat,” Dane said, adding he was breaking down in tears, but ensured she went back to snorkeling and having fun with her friend.
Dane passed away on Feb. 19, less than one year after he announced his ALS diagnosis. He was 53.
The “Euphoria” actor died of respiratory failure, per his death certificate.
Dane and Gayheart, 55, married in Las Vegas in 2004.
They welcomed daughters Billie and Georgia in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
The “Jawbreaker” actress filed for divorce from Dane in February 2018 after 14 years of marriage, but they never signed the papers. The former couple remained close and would holiday together with their children.
Gayheart formally withdrew the petition following Dane’s diagnosis.
This past June, the “Urban Legend” star marked the first Father’s Day since the actor died with a heartbreaking post.
“I hurt for my girls today,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories above the photos of Dane with their daughters, Billie, 16, and Georgia, 14.
“It’s a ‘first’ of many to come. I know Eric is looking out for them every day. 
,” she added.
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