People
By
Elizabeth Leonard
August
12, 2022
Anne
Heche, Star of 'Another World' and 'Men in Trees', Dies at 53
EXCLUSIVE:
Loved ones of the Emmy Award-winning actress and mother of two pay tribute:
‘Today we lost a bright light’
Emmy
Award-winning actress Anne Heche has died, PEOPLE has learned. She was 53.
"Today
we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a
loyal friend," a rep for the star tells PEOPLE in a statement on behalf of
Heche's family and friends.
"Anne
will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic
body of work, and her passionate advocacy. Her bravery for always standing in
her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have
a lasting impact."
The
family's rep confirms to PEOPLE that, while Heche is legally dead according to
California law, her heart is still beating and she has not been taken off life
support in order to allow OneLegacy Foundation enough time to find recipients
who will be a match.
The
news comes a week after she crashed her car into a house in the Mar Vista
neighborhood of Los Angeles, leaving the home destroyed and the actress in
critical condition.
She
never regained consciousness.
On
Thursday, her rep shared that the prognosis was dire. "Unfortunately, due
to her accident, Anne suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a
coma, in critical condition," the rep told PEOPLE in a statement on behalf
of Heche's family. "She is not expected to survive. It has long been her
choice to donate her organs and she's being kept on life support to determine
if any are viable."
The
statement also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and for the
care shown Heche in the aftermath of the devastating crash on Aug. 5.
"We
want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne's recovery
and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses that cared for Anne at the
Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital," the statement read.
Heche's
career spanned decades and included memorable roles on TV, film and the stage.
She rose to fame in the late '80s and '90s with her roles in the soap opera
Another World (1987–1991) and films Volcano, Wag the Dog, I Know What You Did
Last Summer, Six Days Seven Nights and the 1998 remake of Psycho. She is also
known for her role in the 2004 film Gracie's Choice, for which she received a
Primetime Emmy Award nomination for best supporting actress, and the ABC
romantic comedy series Men in Trees, which aired from 2006 to 2008.
Shortly
after releasing her first memoir, Call Me Crazy, in 2001, Heche made her
Broadway debut in 2002 in a production of Proof, a Pulitzer Prize-winning
drama, and starred alongside Alec Baldwin in Broadway's Twentieth Century in
2004. She was nominated for Tony Award in best actress in a play.
The
actress remained busy through the latter part of her career, with myriad
projects, including her podcast Better Together with Anne & Heather, beside
Heather Duffy, and a starring role in Lifetime's Girl in Room 13. She also
appeared in Netflix's Peter Facinelli-directed psychological thriller The
Vanished, the 2021 disaster film 13 Minutes and on OWN's legal drama All Rise.
She also appears in HBO Max's upcoming series The Idol.
In
addition to her career, Heche found herself in the public eye for dating Ellen
DeGeneres from 1997 until 2000.
In
2020, Heche opened up about the public perception of their relationship and how
it affected her career during an episode of Dancing with the Stars.
"My
movie premiere for Volcano, I had told them that I was taking Ellen as my date
and I was told if I took Ellen I would lose my Fox contract," she claimed
on the dancing series, where she competed for the Mirrorball Trophy with
professional dance partner Keo Motsepe. "At that moment, she took my hand
and said, 'Do what they say,' and I said, 'No thanks.' I took Ellen to the
premiere and I was ushered out before the movie even ended and was told I was not
allowed to go to my own after party for fear that they would get pictures of me
with a woman."
"She
was warning me, 'This is going to happen,'" Heche continued. "I was
in a relationship with Ellen DeGeneres for three-and-a-half years and the
stigma attached to that relationship was so bad that I was fired from my
multi-million dollar picture deal and I did not work in a studio picture for 10
years."
Heche
further discussed the details of her relationship with DeGeneres, telling Mr.
Warburton magazine in August 2020 that she was "part of a revolution that
created social change, and I could not have done that without falling in love
with her."
Heche
added that she is "proud to have been part of a revolution that helped
move equality forward."
"But
there is still work to do," she said. "I've paved this way for
myself, and my honesty had every single thing to do with it. I think every
interaction we have should begin with whether or not we can look at and talk to
other human beings with 100 percent respect. My answer will always be 'yes.' We
have to agree that it's a possibility and that we all deserve it."
In
2001, Heche married Coleman "Coley" Laffoon and had her first child,
a son, Homer, now 20. The couple divorced in 2009.
Heche
went on to have a relationship with actor James Tupper and the two had a son,
Atlas, now 13. The two dated for 10 years before separating in 2018.
A
proud mom to her two boys, Heche last posted about them on Mother's Day,
writing below a photo of Homer and Atlas, her arms slung around them,
"#luckiestmom."
As
for her legacy, "Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with
her generous spirit," the rep for Heche tells PEOPLE on behalf of the
family. "More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness
and joy as her life's work --especially moving the needle for acceptance of who
you love. She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed
for her light."
HECHE,
Anne (Ann
Celeste Heche)
Born: 5/25/1969,
Aurora, Ohio, U.S.A.
Died:
8/12/2022,
West Hills, California, U.S.A.
Anne
Heche’s westerns – actress:
O
Pioneers! – 1992 (Marie)
Wildfire:
The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse – 2022 (Diana Jones)
.jpg)
