Anne Heche, known for films like Six Days, Seven Nights and the HBO series Hung, died August 11 at the age of 53 after a car accident in Los Angeles less than a week earlier. “Today we have lost a bright light, a kind and very cheerful soul, a loving mother and a faithful friend,” a spokesman said in a statement persons on behalf of her family and friends. “Anne will be missed dearly, but she lives on through her beautiful sons, iconic work and passionate advocacy. Her courage to always stand up for her truth and spread her message of love and acceptance will continue to have a lasting impact.”
Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury in the accident, as previously reported by persons, and was in a coma until her death. On August 11, Heche’s rep said the actress was not expected to survive and was being placed on life support to determine her eligibility for organ donation.
Heche crashed her car into an apartment building in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 5. Her car caught fire LAPD confirmed in a press release. On December 7, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office announced that Heche had died of “inhalation and thermal injuries.” The Hollywood Reporter. The report also listed “fractured sternum due to blunt trauma” as a “significant condition” of her death, which was ruled accidental.
The actress had been open about her personal struggles, and in 2001 she published a memoir called Call Me Crazy, in which she openly recounted a turbulent childhood of abuse that resulted in long-lasting psychological trauma. While promoting the book, Heche said during a “Larry King Live” It seems she wants to share her story about her mental health “and get to a place where I can come out of the darkness in my life and find light and joy and peace and balance in the now.”
Heche began her career on the soap Another World and later appeared in projects such as 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and Wag the Dog. She directed the series Men in Trees and appeared in Hung opposite Thomas Jane. Heche took part in “Dancing With the Stars” in 2020 and has a role in the upcoming HBO drama “The Idol,” directed by Sam Levinson.
The actor, who had a famous relationship with Ellen DeGeneres from 1997 to 2000, was married to cinematographer Coleman Laffoon from 2001 to 2007 and the couple have one son together. She dated Men in Trees co-star James Tupper until 2018; They also share a son.