Rebecca Gayheart is honoring her eldest daughter, Billie, days after Eric Dane's death. "Happy sweet 16 to the sweetest girl - mommy loves you to the moon and back unconditionally forever and ever," Gayheart, 54, wrote via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, March 3. Alongside the message, Gayheart shared a throwback photo of daughter Billie holding ice cream. She paired the image with Kina Grannis' "You Are My Sunshine." Gayheart also shared a slideshow of pictures of Billie through the years, including an image of her with Dane, alongside Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide." Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart's Daughters Through the Years: Family Photos Days before Gayheart's tribute, news broke that Dane died at age 53 after a battle with ALS. Dane is survived by Gayheart, whom he wed in 2004, and daughters Billie and Georgia, 14. (Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane in 2018 but requested to dismiss it in 2025.) "With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS," his family wrote in a statement to Us in February. "He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world. Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight." Getty Images The statement continued, "He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he's received. The family has asked for privacy as they navigate this impossible time." An official death certificate obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, March 2, listed Dane's cause of death as respiratory failure with ALS as an underlying cause. He was created on Friday, February 27. The certificate also indicated that Dane was still married to Gayheart at the time of his death. Eric Dane Predicted How 2 Daughters Would Remember Him Before His Death at 53 Dane went public with his health battle in 2025. Later that year, Gayheart opened up about learning about Dane's diagnosis. "His symptoms started maybe a year prior. When we would have a meal with the kids, he'd say things like, 'Something's wrong with my hand.' He was struggling to use his chopsticks, dropping his food. That was when he started seeing doctors," Gayheart recalled to New York Magazine's The Cut in December 2025. She continued, "When he told me that day, he just started weeping, as did I. It didn't feel real because he was still OK." Gayheart and Dane told their daughters about his diagnosis one week later. Dane, meanwhile, reflected on his relationship with Gayheart in an interview that aired after his death. "I will never, by the time anybody sees this, have fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca. She's the mother of my children. I think Rebecca was more willing to show up and do her part than I was," Dane said of their separation in his Famous Last Words interview on Netflix. "I don't have that gene [that] just makes you want to keep going regardless of what's happening. I'm like, 'If there's a hole in the boat, don't try to patch the hole. Scuttle the damn thing and go find a new one.' ... Rebecca's a fighter and she perseveres."