"I want to capture the moments that shaped me … so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart," Dane said before his death
Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; Penguin
NEED TO KNOW
- Eric Dane is posthumously releasing a memoir
- My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments will be published by Maria Shriver’s imprint, The Open Field, on Nov. 3.
- “I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart,” Dane said before his death, in a quote shared from the publisher
The late Eric Dane is telling his story.
Just two weeks after his death, Penguin Random House announced My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments by Eric Dane will be published posthumously by Maria Shriver's imprint, The Open Field, on Nov. 3.
“He told me he wanted his family to know how much he loved them and he wanted to leave them a story they could be proud of,” Shriver, 70, said in a press release shared with PEOPLE.
The book is described as a "deeply personal work" that is "a reflection on family, resilience, faith, sobriety, fatherhood and what it means to live fully in the face of terminal illness. It is both a meditation on time and a generous offering to readers about how to honor the days that matter most."
According to the release, completing and publishing the book was Dane's decision.
"He wanted his daughters and readers to have these words. Publishing it as planned allows him to continue speaking, in his own voice, with the clarity and courage that defined him," it stated.
Credit: Penguin
The Euphoria star died at 53 on Thursday, Feb. 19, only 10 months after he went public with his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“I wake up every morning, and I’m immediately reminded that this is real — this illness, this challenge — and that’s exactly why I’m writing this book," Dane said before his death, in a quote shared from the publisher.
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"I want to capture the moments that shaped me — the beautiful days, the hard ones, the ones I never took for granted — so that if nothing else, people who read it will remember what it means to live with heart. If sharing this helps someone find meaning in their own days, then my story is worth telling,” he continued.
According to The Open Field, the Grey's Anatomy actor was working on the manuscript "right up to the end."
Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
An official synopsis of the memoir states that "My Book of Days captures everything from the grind of his early years in Hollywood and the hard-won peace of sobriety to the profound clarity that came with his ALS diagnosis. With his newfound perspective that our days are all we truly have, Dane reflects on the beauty and weight of each one — on the joy, the pain, the lessons and the grace found in simply being present."
"Dane also looks beyond his lifetime to the 'future days' that would come after he was gone — days meant for his daughters to read, to remember and to carry forward," the description continues.
Before his death, Dane also recorded his final interview with Netflix as part of their new series Famous Last Words, which was conducted in secret and only released after he passed.
At the end of the interview, the father of two directly addressed his teenage daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, after he was left alone with the camera.
"Fight with every ounce of your being and with dignity. When you face challenges, health or otherwise, fight," Dane said. "Never give up. Fight until your last breath. This disease is slowly taking my body, but it will never take my spirit."
"I hope I've demonstrated that you can face anything. You can face the end of your days. You can face hell with dignity. Fight girls, and hold your heads high," he continued, tearing up. "Billie and Georgia, you are my heart. You are my everything. Good night. I love you. Those are my last words."
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My Book of Days hits shelves Nov. 3, 2026, and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
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