Anne Heche died Friday at age 53 following her horrific car crash last week, Page Six can confirm.
“We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend. Anne will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work, and her passionate advocacy,” Heche’s rep told Page Six.
“Her bravery for always standing in her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact.”
Earlier Friday, Heche’s team told us that she was officially declared brain dead, but doctors were keeping her heart beating so that One Legacy can determine if she’s a match for organ donation.
Heche never regained consciousness after she crashed her blue Mini Cooper into a Los Angeles home on Aug. 5.
On Aug. 11, the actress’ rep announced she’d “suffered a severe anoxic brain injury” and was “not expected to survive.”
Heche had slipped into a coma shortly after the accident and remained in critical condition.
“It has long been her choice to donate her organs,” her spokesperson told Page Six.
On Aug. 11, Heche’s “close friend” told the Daily Mail she was “in terrible condition” and that the smoke inhalation was “life-threatening.”
The friend requested that people “please pray” for the actress and felt that “only God” could “save her.”
After having obtained a warrant to test her blood, the Los Angeles Police Department was reportedly able to determine that Heche was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the accident.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the actress’ blood test results came up positive for fentanyl as well.
However, they cautioned that fentanyl may have been administered to Heche at the hospital to help manage her pain after the accident.
The actress was not under the influence of alcohol, reported TMZ, despite a photo taken shortly before the crash that showed a red-capped bottle in her car’s cupholder.
On Aug. 10, the LAPD escalated its investigation to a felony DUI after the woman whose home Heche crashed into claimed she was injured and needed medical assistance as a result.
According to eyewitnesses on the scene, the actress first slammed into the garage of a nearby apartment complex before backing up and speeding off.
Officials with the LAPD West Traffic Division previously confirmed she hit another vehicle before bulldozing into the house that caught fire.
Photos from the scene captured the “Men in Trees” star being put on a stretcher and showed serious injuries to her back, while aerial shots documented smoke billowing out of the residence as well as numerous fire trucks surrounding the area.
Heche is survived by 20-year-old son Homer Laffoon, whom she shared with ex-husband Coleman “Coley” Laffoon. The two were married from 2001 to 2009.
She is also mom to 13-year-old son Atlas Heche Tupper, whom she shared with her “Men in Trees” co-star, James Tupper.
Additionally, she was known for a three-year romance with Ellen DeGeneres, who simply said, “I don’t want anyone to be hurt,” when photographers asked her about the crash on Aug. 8.
Heche, the youngest of five children, had a long history of substance abuse.
“I drank. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life,” the Ohio native told ABC News in 2020, noting she had been sexually abused by her father for the majority of her childhood.
“I’m not crazy,” the “Hung” star said at the time. “But it’s a crazy life. I was raised in a crazy family. And it took 31 years to get the crazy out of me.”
Despite the various hands she was dealt, Heche had an incredibly successful acting career with both movies and television shows, earning 92 credits over the years.
She got her start on the soap opera, “Another World,” with the dual-role of twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love. The portrayal earned her a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series in 1991.
In 1997, she co-starred with Johnny Depp in “Donnie Brasco.” The following year, she starred opposite Robert De Niro in “Wag the Dog.”
Heche also appeared on “Nip/Tuck” in 2005 and took on the role of Susan R. Jones in “The Michael J. Fox Show” from 2013 to 2014.
Alongside dancer partner and choreographer Keo Motsepe, she competed on Season 29 of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Back in 2017, when asked how Heche wanted to be remembered, she told Access Hollywood, “Oh…Oh lord oh lord…Hopefully that I made my children happy…gave them a life that they love.”
-Source: Page Six
