GoFundMe verifies campaign for Eric Dane’s daughters after company put funds on hold

An unspecified group had banded together to launch a GoFundMe for the teenage daughters, Billie and Georgia, Dane shared with Rebecca Gayheart. The target was initially $250,000 but has since been raised to $500,000. More than half of the initial goal was raised in a matter of hours.

After a brief holding period, GoFundMe has confirmed to The Independent that the fundraiser “is verified and the family has been added as the beneficiary.

“GoFundMe’s Trust & Safety team was previously working to gather additional information and help ensure the intended beneficiary was added to the fundraiser, as part of our standard review process. Donations were safely held by our payment processors during this review process,” the statement concluded.

Mike McGuiness, who said in an Instagram post that he was a friend of Dane’s for “almost two decades,” mentioned setting up a GoFundMe to help the late actor’s family.

In that same Instagram caption, he wrote: “Covid and ALS did a number on his work life and he sadly couldn’t leave his family with the resources he had hoped. A gofundme is being made and I will post it on my story for anyone able to help. Love the ones you’ve got.”

The GoFundMe is attributed to “Friends of the Dane Family,” and does not mention specific names.

Still, the fundraiser quickly gained traction. Donations had surpassed $280,000 Sunday morning, including a $27,000 gift from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.

“I’m heartbroken by the loss of our dear friend Eric. Working with him was an honor. Being his friend was a gift. Eric’s family is in our prayers. May his memory be for a blessing,” Levinson said in a statement to Variety shortly after Dane’s death was announced.

In addition to his star turn as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy, Dane was introduced to a new audience in 2019 when he was cast in the HBO Max teen drama Euphoria as Cal Jacobs, a father hiding the fact that he is gay.

At the time he announced his ALS diagnosis, Dane vowed to continue to work regardless of his health.

“I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to [the] set of Euphoria next week,” he told People at the time. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.”