Kit Roberts
GoFundMe has issued a statement after money from a fundraiser for the family of Eric Dane's family was held back.
Dane, who was known for his roles in Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria, died on February 19 this year after being diagnosed with ALS, a terminal health condition which affects the nervous system.
Following his death, a fundraiser was started by 'Friends of the Dane Family' with the intention of providing support to his daughters Billie and Georgia.
At the time of writing, the page has raised $337,482 of its $500k target.
Advert
However, it subsequently emerged that the funds on the page are being held, raising concerns about whether they would reach their intended recipients.
Now, GoFundMe has issued an update about the fundraiser explaining why the money is currently being held.
GoFundMe confirmed that the fundraising page has been verified and that the late actor's family have been added to it as the beneficiary.
In a statement, a spokesperson explained that holding the money is standard procedure to make sure that the money goes to the person it is intended for.
The statement said: "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 fundraiser drew in large numbers of donations, including a $27,000 donation from Euphoria director Sam Levinson and his wife Ashley, which is currently the top donation.
A spokesperson for GoFundMe had also previously confirmed to The San Fransisco Chronicle that the page is being reviewed.
“Our Trust and Safety team is still looking into this GoFundMe and has reached out to the organizer to gather additional information,” the spokesperson said.
“All funds are being safely held by our payment processors during this review process. We can follow up as soon as there is an update available.”
Mike McGuiness, a friend of Dane, also shared a post online in which he opened up about the reasoning behind the fundraiser.
"My friend of almost two decades just left us after a brutal battle with ALS," he said. "I’m the positive spin guy and can come up with something hopeful in most any situation.
"This one broke me. I had nothing to say, it’s about as hopeless an affliction one could get. I truly don’t know if I could muster grace or dignity in that spot."