Eric Dane's daughter saving him from drowning amid ALS battle revealed in new memoir

Eric Dane recounts how his daughter Georgia helped save him from drowning during family holiday in Antigua in 2024

Eric Dane recalled how his daughter Georgia helped save him from drowning during a family holiday in Antigua in 2024, following his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The late Grey’s Anatomy actor shared the experience in his posthumous memoir, My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments.

In an excerpt published by People, Dane described how he realised he could no longer swim while in a pool during the trip. His 14-year-old daughter and a friend helped rescue him.

Dane, who also shared daughter Billie, 16, with his estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart, recounted calling Gayheart after the incident to tell her what had happened.

“'I can't swim, Rebecca, I say. I can't swim,'” he wrote.

He described Gayheart’s emotional response to the news, adding, “She explodes into tears and I weep with her. We cry together.”

Dane continued, “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 actor publicly announced his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. He died in February at the age of 53.

In another passage from the memoir, Dane recalled experiencing the first signs of the condition in January 2024 while eating sushi with his daughters. He noticed that his right hand was tingling and his fingers felt numb, making it difficult to use chopsticks.

“I'm eating sushi with my kids and suddenly I can't work the chopsticks with my right hand. My hand tingles, and then my fingers feel numb,” he wrote.

Dane initially dismissed the symptoms, believing they might be related to excessive texting. However, he experienced the problem again three weeks later, when he could no longer grip the chopsticks.

The actor said it took nine months to receive an official diagnosis.

My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments is scheduled to be available from November 3, offering further reflections on Dane’s life and his experience with ALS.