Anne Heche, known for her roles in a string of high-profile late ’90s movies including Six Days Seven Nights; Emmy-winning TV work in shows such as Men in Trees and the soap opera Another World; and her attention-grabbing relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, has been declared “brain dead,” her publicist said Friday, one week after a horrific car crash.
There was initially confusion about Heche’s condition on Friday, with friends and family posting tributes to the actress, even though, as her publicist said, “Her heart is still beating.” Philanthropist Nancy Davis said in an Instagram story that “heaven has a new angel” and “my heart is broken.” DeGeneres also shared a message in a since-deleted tweet, writing, “This is a sad day. I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love.”
Heche’s publicist clarified in a statement that the 53-year-old actress was declared legally dead under California law late Thursday, and she only remained on life support while doctors worked with the OneLegacy Foundation for organ transplantation. The publicist told the Associated Press that the process, where specialists determine which organs are viable and then identifying appropriate recipients, could take up to several days.
“Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit,” the actress’s family said in a statement to Yahoo Entertainment. “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.”
Police say Heche was under the influence of narcotics, reportedly including cocaine, when she lost control of her Mini Cooper on Aug. 5 and smashed through a home in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles. It took 59 firefighters 65 minutes to extract her from the fiery wreck. She fell into a coma and never regained consciousness after being hospitalized in what her publicist described to Yahoo as “extreme critical condition.”
In a subsequent statement on Thursday, the publicist explained that Heche had suffered “a severe anoxic brain injury,” meaning oxygen was cut off from her brain, and she was not expected to survive.
“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 family statement read.
In addition to Six Days Seven Nights, the 1998 action comedy in which she starred opposite Harrison Ford, Heche appeared the same year in Gus Van Sant’s remake of Psycho. She packed 1997 with work in high-profile projects, including crime drama Donnie Brasco, with Johnny Depp and Al Pacino; political dramedy Wag the Dog, which starred Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman; the action flick Volcano, with Tommy Lee Jones; and the teen horror movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. Her film credits also included The Juror (1996), John Q (1992), I’ll Do Anything (1994), Cedar Rapids (2011) and Catfight (2016).
On TV, her work was prolific. She was perhaps best known for her ABC show Men in Trees, which aired for two seasons beginning in 2006, in which she played a relationship guru seeking love in small-town Alaska, but she also made her mark in shows including the HBO comedy Hung (2009-11), The Michael J. Fox Show (2013-14), Chicago P.D. (2018-19) and courtroom drama All Rise last year. She also competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2020.
She appeared on popular shows such as Ally McBeal, Everwood and Nip/Tuck. In 2004, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her turn in the Lifetime movie Gracie’s Choice, and she won a Daytime Emmy in 1991 for playing twins on the soap opera Another World, on which she appeared on for eight years beginning in 1984. She had auditioned for the job after a talent agent took notice of the 16-year-old Heche in a school play.
Heche was a Broadway actress, too. In 2004, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, for Twentieth Century.
