Getty Anne Heche in November 2021.
Anne Heche has died, People reported August 12, 2022.
“Today we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,” a representative told 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 statement continued.
The 53-year-old actress was seriously injured in a crash on August 5, 2022. Heche slammed into a garage, backed up and then careened into another house, causing her car to explode, TMZ reports. The crash occurred at about 11 a.m. in Los Angeles, according to TMZ. She was intubated and in critical condition in the hours after the crash, the outlet reported at the time.
The family’s representative told People that she is legally dead according to California law, but her heart is still beating and she has not been taken off life support because she is an organ donor. OneLegacy Foundation is looking for recipients who will be a matched.. She was in a coma and in extreme critical condition after a fiery crash left her severely burned.
The Post reported Heche was intubated and in critical condition Saturday, August 6, 2022, the day after the crash, based on information from her ex-boyfriend, Thomas Jane. Representatives said in a statement August 9, 2022 that she had slipped into a coma and her condition was extreme. She was driving a blue Mini Cooper in Los Angeles Friday night when she slammed into a garage, backed up and then careened into another house, causing her car to explode.
Jane told the Daily Mail in a statement that he was praying for Heche. He said he was grateful that there were no additional injuries.
Here’s what you need to know:
Reports Say Heche Was Trapped in the Burning Car for Up to 30 Minutes Before She Was Freed
According to The Daily Mail Heche was had been driving at 90 miles per hour before crashing. Her car “exploded” when it made impact, the news outlet report. Dozens of firefighters responded and worked for about a half hour to free her.
“Aerial footage also showed her bursting through the straps in a white bag before writhing in pain on a stretcher as she was bundled into an ambulance and rushed to a local ICU,” the Daily Mail reported.
The Daily Mail reported that she may have been drunk, and said footage showed a bottle that appeared to be a vodka bottle was in the cup holder. Authorities have not said whether Heche was intoxicated.
It Took More Than One Hour to Extinguish the Blaze, LA Firefighters Said
Here’s the now mangled vehicle owned by actress Anne Heche being towed away after speeding and crashing into a Mar Vista home and sparking a fire. @CBSLA
The Los Angeles Fire Department told NBC Los Angeles that the fire was particularly difficult to extinguish. They did not release Heche’s name, saying only that the sole occupant was a female driver.
“Fifty-nine Firefighters took 65 minutes to access, confine and fully extinguish the stubborn flames within the heavily damaged structure, and rescue one female adult found within the vehicle, who has been taken to an area hospital by LAFD Paramedics in critical condition,” Brian Humphrey, a spokesperson for the fire department, told the news station.
Police told the news station the car went 30 feet into the home. The crash occurred at about 11 a.m. in the 1700 block of South Walgrove Avenue in Mar Vista.
Heche’s Ex Called Her ‘One of the True Talents of Her Generation’
EXCLUSIVE: Video shows the vehicle owned by actress Anne Heche speeding down a Mar Vista street moments before crashing into a home and sparking a fire. The story on @CBSLA 5pm.
Jane praised his ex-girlfriend in a statement to the Daily Mail.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Anne, one of the true talents of her generation Thank God no one else was hurt,” Jane told the Daily Mail.
He said that he cared about her despite their breakup. The two had bought a house together, the Daily Mail reported.
“While Anne and I are no longer an item, todays tragic news was devastating to me and to all who love her,” he said, according to the Daily Mail. “My heart goes out to Anne and her two sons. As of right now Anne is stable and expected to pull through.”
The two knew each other for more than two years and co-starred in “Hung” from 2009 to 2011, playing a divorced couple, the Daily Mail reported.
The two dated as recently as 2020, the New York Post reported. Heche also dated Ellen DeGeneres from 1997 to 2000.
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