Anne Heche, the Emmy- and Tony-nominated actor whose work in 鈥淪ix Days Seven Nights,鈥� 鈥淎nother World鈥� and dozens of other projects dovetailed with a groundbreaking romance with Ellen DeGeneres that challenged homophobia in Hollywood, has died. She was 53.
Her son Homer confirmed her death in a statement to the Los Angeles Times on Friday.
鈥淢y brother Atlas and I lost our Mom. After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淗opefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom.
鈥淥ver those six days, thousands of friends, family, and fans made their hearts known to me. I am grateful for their love, as I am for the support of my Dad, Coley, and my stepmom Alexi who continue to be my rock during this time. Rest In Peace Mom, I love you, Homer.鈥�
Heche was removed from life support after being hospitalized after crashing her car into a Mar Vista home, which then caught on fire. After the Aug. 5 crash, Heche was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital in critical condition. She was declared brain dead Thursday night. As of Friday, Heche was legally dead, but her heart was still beating and her body was on life support to preserve viable organs for possible donation.
She suffered significant burns in the crash. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that a blood test showed Heche was under the influence of narcotics at the time, and another law enforcement source told the Times that Heche鈥檚 initial blood test showed cocaine in her system.
Before Heche died, the LAPD was planning to administer a second blood test to rule out hospital treatments as the reason for narcotics showing up in her initial screen. Shortly after the crash, Heche fell into a coma with a major injury that required her to be put on mechanical ventilation, her spokesperson said.
By Thursday night, it was clear that Heche would not survive. A statement on behalf of her family and friends said the actor had suffered 鈥渁 severe anoxic brain injury鈥� and would be kept on life support to determine whether any of her organs were viable for donation, as had long been her wish.
鈥淎nne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淢ore than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy as her life鈥檚 work 鈥� especially moving the needle for acceptance of who you love. She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.鈥�
Heche鈥檚 ex-husband, Coleman 鈥淐oley鈥� Laffoon, said in a video that she 鈥渨as brave and fearless and loved really hard.鈥�
鈥淕oodbye, Anne. Love you, thank you,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hank you for all the good times. There were so many, and see you on the other side.鈥�
Rosanna Arquette, Alec Baldwin, James Gunn and James Tupper were among the Hollywood figures mourning Heche on social media Friday.
Throughout her decadeslong career, Heche delivered nearly 100 performances on TV, stage and film. In the late 1980s, she got her big break with a dual role on the long-running NBC soap opera 鈥淎nother World.鈥� By 1991, she won a Daytime Emmy for her acclaimed work as Vicky Hudson and Marley Love on the show.
After rising to prominence on the daytime TV circuit, Heche made the leap to the big screen, where she starred in high-profile films including 鈥淒onnie Brasco鈥� (1997), 鈥淰olcano鈥� (1997), 鈥淚 Know What You Did Last Summer鈥� (1997), 鈥淪ix Days Seven Nights鈥� (1998), 鈥淩eturn to Paradise鈥� (1998) and 鈥淛ohn Q鈥� (2002).
Her professional life took a turn, however, when she began publicly dating DeGeneres, who had just come out as gay on her hit sitcom and in real life. Both performers endured major career setbacks as a result of being open about their sexuality at a time when that was much less accepted.
In a 1998 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Heche accused Fox of refusing to hire her after she and DeGeneres made their relationship official around the time the studio鈥檚 鈥淰olcano鈥� debuted 鈥� and tanked 鈥� at the box office.
鈥淭hey still have this bitterness about the timing of my falling in love with Ellen and the opening of 鈥榁olcano,鈥� 鈥� Heche told the Times.
鈥淚 have my own opinions about why that movie didn鈥檛 do well, as anybody with half a brain would, but they want to blame it on somebody. I won鈥檛 say doors are shut for me. I know there are studios that will hire me (laughing).鈥�
On Friday, DeGeneres expressed support for her former partner.
鈥淭his is a sad day,鈥� DeGeneres tweeted. 鈥淚鈥檓 sending Anne鈥檚 children, family and friends all of my love.鈥�
Heche was born May 25, 1969, in Aurora, Ohio. During her childhood, Heche and her family moved often when her father, a choir director, pursued different gigs. At 12 years old, she worked with a her mother at a dinner theater in Swainton, New Jersey, then eventually moved with her family to Chicago.
In the Windy City came her big break. A talent scout invited a 16-year-old Heche to audition for CBS鈥� 鈥淎s the World Turns.鈥� However, before she could take on that daytime drama, her mother insisted that she finish her high school education. After graduating in 1987, Heche debuted as Vicky Hudson and Marley Love in NBC鈥檚 鈥淎nother World.鈥�
鈥淚 think everything in my childhood led me to being an actress,鈥� she told Larry King in 2001. 鈥淚 not only wanted to leave the planet, I wanted to be anything other than who I was. And so did my family.鈥�
In 1991, Heche earned her first Daytime Emmy for her work in the NBC soap and soon made her film debut. Throughout the 鈥�90s, she appeared in 鈥淎n Ambush of Ghosts,鈥� 鈥淭he Adventures of Huck Finn,鈥� 鈥淚鈥檒l Do Anything鈥� and others. She eventually became a screen staple, acting alongside Cher, Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin. In 1996, she appeared in Nicole Holofcener鈥檚 Sundance film 鈥淲alking and Talking,鈥� then in Mike Newell鈥檚 鈥淒onnie Brasco鈥� with Johnny Depp a year later. She also shared the screen with Tommy Lee Jones in 鈥淰olcano.鈥�
Heche met DeGeneres in March 1997 at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. The two went public with their relationship on an episode of 鈥淭he Oprah Winfrey Show,鈥� shortly after Heche joined the cast for 鈥淪ix Days Seven Nights.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it was immediately a sexual attraction,鈥� Heche told Winfrey about meeting DeGeneres. 鈥淚 just think it was, 鈥榃ow, you are just the most incredible person I鈥檝e ever met and I want to be with you.鈥欌��
The women ended their relationship in August 2000. A day after the breakup, Heche made headlines when she dropped by a stranger鈥檚 home in Fresno and claimed that God 鈥渨as going to take everyone back to heaven in a spaceship.鈥�
In the early aughts, she scaled back her time in the spotlight, instead opting for roles in indie films and TV series such as 鈥淎lly McBeal,鈥� 鈥淧rozac Nation鈥� and 鈥淕racie鈥檚 Choice.鈥� In 2001, Heche released her memoir, 鈥淐all Me Crazy.鈥� In it, she alleged that her father, who was gay and died of AIDS in 1983, abused her when she was young. She previously told the Times that she intended for her autobiography to help others.
鈥淚t鈥檚 who I am. I hope the fact that I talk about these things in my life might help other people find peace in their own conflicts,鈥� she told the Times in 2004. 鈥淧eople are curious about it, but I think it will become less and less, and hopefully I鈥檒l have more and more topics to add on so that there won鈥檛 always be questions about the last seven years of my life.鈥�
In September 2001, Heche married Laffoon, a cameraman whom she had hired in 2000 to film a documentary about DeGeneres. The next year was a busy one as Heche gave birth to their son, Homer, and made her Broadway debut in a production of 鈥淧roof.鈥�
In 2004, she earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her work in 鈥淕racie鈥檚 Choice鈥� and a Tony nomination for her work in a Broadway production of the play 鈥淭wentieth Century,鈥� where she starred opposite Baldwin. That year also saw Heche appear in the films 鈥淪exual Life鈥� and 鈥淏irth.鈥�
In 2007, Heche filed for divorce from Laffoon and began dating her 鈥淢en in Trees鈥� co-star James Tupper. In December 2008, she gave birth to her second child, Atlas. From 2009 to 2011, Heche starred in HBO鈥檚 鈥淗ung.鈥� She also had a recurring arc as Susan Rodriguez-Jones in 鈥淭he Michael J. Fox Show鈥� from 2013 to 2014.
Heche revisited Broadway in 2016 with Topher Grace in 鈥淥pening Night.鈥� She also starred with Sandra Oh in the indie film 鈥淐atfight.鈥�
鈥淥h and Heche are great here, giving performances entirely lacking in vanity and self-consciousness,鈥� The Times鈥� 鈥淐atfight鈥� review said. 鈥淭hey aren鈥檛 afraid to get ugly, both in their treatment of everyone around them as well as in their post-brawl bruises, which makes them that much funnier.鈥�
鈥淚 created characters out of the funniness of life,鈥� Heche told the Times in 2010, speaking about her process. 鈥淎nd I also loved physical comedy, not over the top, but born of what I thought was true in life, fumbling over the journey through life, which is so complicated and painful.鈥�
In 2017, Heche appeared in the film鈥� 鈥淢y Friend Dahmer鈥� and took up a lead role for the NBC series 鈥淭he Brave.鈥� In 2018, she and Tupper split. In 2020 she was a contestant on the 29th season of 鈥淒ancing With the Stars,鈥� being voted off third among the contestants. That same year, she took up a recurring role on the CBS legal drama 鈥淎ll Rise.鈥�
In recent years Heche continued to keep busy, launching the 鈥淏etter Together with Anne & Heater鈥� podcast with co-host Heather Duff in 2020. In June 2022, she also landed a starring role in Lifetime鈥檚 upcoming film 鈥淕irl in Room 13,鈥� directed by Elisabeth Rohm. As of Thursday, the film was still on track for its September release.
Heche is survived by her sons Homer and Atlas.
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Christi Carras and Alexandra Del Rosario
Los Angeles Times
