Anne Heche has died after suffering an ‘anoxic’ brain injury from her car crash; she was 53.
Just prior to her death, Heche’s spokesperson said in a statement from her friends and family:
“We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne’s recovery and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses.
“Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition. She is not expected to survive.
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“It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.
“Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit. 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.”
The actor was driving at 90-mph when she crashed her blue Mini Cooper into a two-story home in Los Angeles on Friday, August 5th. The vehicle caught fire, which destroyed the home and required 60 firefighters to extinguish.
Anoxic brain injuries are caused by a “complete lack of oxygen to the brain, which results in the death of brain cells after approximately four minutes of oxygen.”
Heche’s many film credits include Donnie Brasco, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Six Days, Seven Nights, and Gus Van Sant’s remake of Psycho. On TV, she appeared in shows like Hung, Men in Trees, and did voice work on The Legend of Korra. She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in the television film Gracie’s Choice, and a Tony Award nomination for Broadway’s Twentieth Century.
The actor didn’t often speak about her romance with Ellen Degeneres that dominated the headlines in the late ’90s and early ’00s, but in an interview with Page Six last year, she said the partnership got her “blacklisted” from Hollywood for many years.
Heche described the relationship, which lasted from 1997 to 2000, as “a moment in my life when I was given the glory of being able to stand up for what I believe in.”
Unfortunately, it came with a cost. Because being in a same-sex relationship in Hollywood at that time ended up sidelining her career, which had been on the up-and-up before she brought Degeneres as her date to the 1997 premiere of Volcano.
“I didn’t do a studio picture for 10 years,” she said. “I was fired from a $10 million picture deal and did not see the light of day in a studio picture.”
Despite all the negative things that came with being in a same-sex relationship in Hollywood in the late ’90s, Heche said it wasn’t all in vain.
“Those repercussions that happened, are, to me, what has created a part of the change. I’m a part of it. It is a badge of honor.”
graphicjack
this is very sad. I knew Heche when she starred as Vicky/Marly in Another World and have been a fan of her enormous talent ever since. She’s certainly had a very challenging life and I feel sorry for all the mental health struggles she’s suffered. If she hadn’t have had such a horrible childhood, what else could she have achieved in her life? Maybe at last she’s beyond her pain. 🙁
brian6767
LOVED her on Another World, too, and everything afterwards. Yeah, she had a crazy childhood and early adulthood but have always been a fan, too. It seemed like she smiled in every picture I’ve ever seen of her but very tortured, as well.
ShiningSex
It’s sad, but she was a mess so I question how it really happened.
miller2900
…. what a crass self-centered commentary about someone you more than likely didn’t even know! The woman died in a fiery car crash that destroyed another woman’s home could you not save your back biting commentary for another time? Talk about a bitchy queen! YOU are a perfect example of how our society has slid from one of overall decency to trash…. The unfortunate side of the internet these days.
BigJohnSF
Toxicology reports show the presence of cocaine, but I think it was suicide.
Rocinante
I bc am curious if you would have the same sentiment if she died of cancer? Bottom line she clearly struggled with mental health issues; depression; addiction are not just some made up disease. They are as deadly and as life impacting as a deadly physical disease. Your representative of the ignorance many humans have toward intangible diseases. It’s the same problem we have with pollution; if I can’t see it; it’s not real. Educate yourself a bit about the devastating consequences of mental disease.
Best education I received outside of my own experiences was a story on NPR on suicide. People often say; oh how could they be so selfish. They interviewed a man who survived. He iterated and reiterated over and over that people try and look at mental illness and suicide through a logical reasoned lens; The person in a mode of acute depression or suicidal mind do not have a logical thought in their head. Common methods of reasoning with an emotional person are not going to work on a person in this stage. There is no reasoning or logic to reason with; it’s not available. So imposing your healthy minded ideas are less than useless. They aren’t being selfish as all normal thought patterns have left them. We still hear people say to highly depressed people; just buck up; stop feeling sorry for yourself. That’s just pure ignorance.
ShiningSex
I’ve read online on several articles that she was a LGBT role model due to dating Ellen, that’s BS. She denied her sexuality after their relationship ended. She was never a role model. Look up all of the things she did.
davidjohng
Now that you mention it I have a memory of her being on Oprah after the breakup with Ellen. Oprah was puzzled because Anne now denied she was not gay after being on the show in the past with Ellen. Maybe she wanted back into Hollywood badly and wanted to change her image once again. But not being your authentic self has consequences.
Rocinante
There’s an old saying that saying shitty things about the dead is rather uncouth. Your comment is just plain inhumane. It’s rather gross.
MISTERJETT
regardless of how and why she died, it’s so sad. R.I.P. ANNE
AllanW
I’m very sorry she died, but in all the articles pertaining to this sad incident there is not on word about the family whose lives she destroyed
toddlicious
I’m reading/hearing she’s still in life support but brain dead, waiting clarification on which organs might be viable for donation, I think queerty jumped the gun here. It’s apparent she’s going to die, but I don’t think it’s happened yet at the time if this story release here. Careful queerty. Check your facts.
kish
She’s been declared legally dead.
Mack
It’s been reported in most all media that she is dead. However it’s said that she is “brain dead” but they’re keeping her body “alive” in order to harvest her organs for transplants.
dbmcvey
Very sad. Such a troubled life, but so much talent. We need better mental healthcare in this country.
bakeembakeem
Such a sad tragic ending
skyreader
Agree with miller2900, ShiningSex should not be making bitchy, unnecessary, kneejerk and judgmental comments about someone who just died in the aftermath of a horrible and fiery accident.
RobertoinLA
Criticizing her denial of being gay or her irresponsible driving is not bitchy. Both are on point. The tragedy of her death does not make her a gay icon or hero. Ellen’s is the real hero for authenticity. Anne H. is tragic, but not heroic. And she could have killed someone by driving in that condition. Her mental state is what we should be commenting on. It’s a moment to remember and honor our commitment to mental health.
missvamp
the last thing i saw her in was chicago pd, as a somewhat corrupt cop. she was great. i always liked her as an actor. i’m so happy they are donating her organs & i hope the family uses her estate to help the family that lost their home. so tragic.
humble charlie
I thought she was great in chicago pd. It is a great shame that she had to deal with mental illness in her life.
Kangol2
Just a very sad situation all around.
Fahd
Really seems like a substance-abuse-related suicide to me, a permanent “solution” to a temporary problem. Sad in any case. Also, I’m a firm believer in refraining from speaking ill of some one upon the occasion of her death announcement.
bachy
Anne had so much beauty, talent and success, and two beautiful boys. She must have had some horrible demons to throw it all away like that.
Does anyone know if she had a specific mental illness? Or addiction issues? What a horrible tragedy. This is going to be dissected for quite some time.
Essie
I have sympathy for the woman who had her life destroyed because of this woman. She is lucky to be alive, but she lost all of her possessions. That may not sound like much to all the people who think so highly of Ms. Heche but it is a great lost to her victim. It is pure luck that more people weren’t killed or injured since this druggie had at least two accidents that same day.
Also, I seriously doubt any of her organs could have been used because of the toxic smoke and the even more toxic drugs in her body. So whatever. Good riddance.
humble charlie
full of the milk of human kindness, aren’t you
Mr. Stadnick
A very sad story. I feel bad for her family and the woman who’s home has been destroyed. I also feel bad for the mean spirited and nasty posters who use her death to make themselves feel important.
She was a fine actress and I am sure a good friend and family member. Reading that she has donated her organs will perhaps encourage others to do the same.
Queerty did the right thing by pulling the earlier post about Ellen DeGeneres, it was in very poor taste.
Derek Northcutt
is “brain dead” really dead? The NYT hasn’t published yet a death notice.
Donston
No one really knows Anne’s sexuality or sexual journey, who she preferred loving at different points on her life, her potential struggles with stuff like hetero pressures, gay resentments, queer insecurities, internalized phobias, fluidity, contradictions, paraphiliacs, trying to understand her place in the gender, sexual, affection, romantic, emotion, commitment spectrum. We don’t know any of that shit. While it’s apparent that she’s had traumas, mental health struggles, substance abuse issues that she was never able to conquer or at least handle well enough. This isn’t the time to be critical or to be an asshole for no reason (but it’s the internet. So, people will always find excuses for being an asshole). It’s also not the time idolize or re-write history. I will say that at least Anne never publicly said anything truly anti-gay or homo shaming or queer resenting. I cannot say the same for many celebs who fully embrace queer identities/images.
mz.sam
Thought & Prayers….Amen.