Anne Heche dies
Anne Heche has died as the result of injuries sustained in a car crash on 5 August.
A representative for the Donnie Brasco actress announced on Friday that she had passed away at the age of 53.
"Today we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend," they told People. "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."
While the star is considered legally dead, according to California law, doctors are keeping her heart beating until OneLegacy Foundation officials can find matches for organ donation.
Heche failed to regain consciousness following the collision, which occurred when she crashed her car into a home in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, causing both the vehicle and property to become engulfed in flames.
The actress was being treated for her injuries at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital in Los Angeles. On Thursday, her family revealed that she had suffered a "severe anoxic brain injury", which is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, and was "not expected to survive".
According to police investigators, a blood analysis confirmed the presence of narcotics in Heche's system at the time of the crash. Further tests will be required to identify the specific drugs.
Heche got her start in Hollywood in the late '80s by playing twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love on the soap opera Another World, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award. Over the course of her career, she also starred in TV shows such as Men in Trees, Hung, Save Me, Dig, Aftermath, and The Brave, as well as the 2004 TV movie Gracie's Choice, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Her film roles include Volcano, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Six Days, Seven Nights, the 1998 Psycho remake, Spread, and Cedar Rapids.
Heche also received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play for the 2004 Broadway revival of Twentieth Century.
Outside of acting, Heche gained widespread media attention for her romance with Ellen DeGeneres. She previously said she was blacklisted in Hollywood for 10 years over the relationship, which ran from 1997 to 2000.
Heche was married to cameraman Coleman Laffoon between 2001 and 2007. They shared a 20-year-old son named Homer. She also has a 13-year-old son, Atlas, with her former partner James Tupper.
