Anne Heche, a captivating actress whose versatility propelled an admirable career in television and film for four decades, has died at 53.
“Anne Heche has been peacefully removed from life support,” a representative for her family told CNN earlier Sunday evening, and later confirmed the actress’ death.
Heche’s car crashed into a Los Angeles home and caught fire on August 5. After the crash, Heche suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury,” depriving his brain of oxygen, among other serious injuries from the accident, his family and friends said in a statement to CNN.
Heche was an award-winning actress who appeared in films like the 1998 remake of “Psycho” and the romantic comedy “Six Days Seven Nights” alongside Harrison Ford. She also directed a segment of a 2000 HBO film “If These Walls Could Talk 2” and in her 2001 memoir she revealed her lifelong struggles with mental illness after being abused by her father.
In 1987, Heche made her television debut in the soap opera “Another World”, a role for which she won a Daytime Emmy. After leaving the show, she began her film career, appearing in acclaimed films such as “Donnie Brasco” and “Wag the Dog.”
When Heche and Ellen DeGeneres started dating in 1997 — around the same time DeGeneres dated in real life and on her titular sitcom — they quickly became one of the world’s most famous same-sex couples. . The two separated in 2000.
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Actress Anne Heche poses for a portrait in 2015.
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Heche, seen here in 1990 with Russell Todd, won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance on the soap opera “Another World.” She played twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love.
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Heche, right, appears with Catherine Keener in the 1996 film “Walking and Talking.”
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Heche, left, holds hands with comedian Ellen DeGeneres at the world premiere of the film “Face/Off” in 1997. The two dated for several years.
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Heche stars with Tommy Lee Jones in the 1997 film “Volcano.”
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Heche and Johnny Depp in a scene from 1997’s ‘Donnie Brasco’.
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Heche appeared with Robert De Niro in “Wag the Dog” in 1998.
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Heche and Vince Vaughn in “Psycho” in 1998.
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Heche stars with Harrison Ford in the 1998 film “Six Days, Seven Nights.”
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Heche signs a fan hat at the premiere of “Get Real” in 1999.
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Heche, right, directs Sharon Stone in a segment of the 2000 film ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2’. DeGeneres, center, was also in the film.
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From left, Stone, Michelle Williams and Heche hold the Lucy Awards which were presented in 2000 to the creators and cast of ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ and ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2’.
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Heche married Coley Laffoon in 2001. They had a son together, Homer, before divorcing in 2009.
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Heche and Laffoon take a walk with their son in 2002.
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Heche attends the Los Angeles premiere of “American Splendor” in 2003.
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Heche and her boyfriend James Tupper arrive at an Emmy Awards reception in 2010. They have a son together, Atlas.
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Heche and actress Conchata Ferrell perform at a theater in Santa Monica, California during a cancer benefit in 2010.
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Heche, center, appears in an episode of “Save Me” in 2013.
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Heche and Juliette Goglia work with Michael J. Fox on a 2013 episode of “The Michael J. Fox Show.”
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Heche in a 2015 episode of “Quantico.”
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Heche takes a photo with her son Homer in 2017.
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Heche bows with other actors during an encore for the 2019 ‘Twentieth Century’ benefit concert reading. Earlier in her career, Heche appeared in the Broadway play and was nominated for a Tony Award .
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Heche dances with Keo Motsepe at the “Dancing With the Stars” TV competition in 2020.
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Heche appears in an episode of “All Rise” in 2021.
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Heche attends the Directors Guild of America Awards in March.
Last year, Heche told Page Six that her relationship with DeGeneres had resulted in her losing roles, calling herself “cancel culture’s patient zero.”
Still, she said, she saw herself as “part of the change” that helped normalize same-sex relationships in the mainstream culture.
“I’m part of it,” she told Page Six. “It’s a badge of honor.”
In her 2001 memoir, ‘Call Me Crazy’, she said her father sexually abused her as a child and she suffered from mental illness for much of the first 30 years of her life. She told CNN’s Larry King in an interview that year that her personality had fragmented between herself and a personality she had invented as a child to accommodate abuse.
“I had to live a lot of life to get to where I am now,” she told King. “I had to see truths and overcome shame, and I’m so grateful for every step I took. I don’t think I could have dealt with it any sooner.
Anne Heche’s very public life has often overshadowed her screen career
In 2004, Heche appeared on Broadway in “Twentieth Century,” for which she was nominated for a Tony. In recent years, Heche has returned to television, appearing in series like “The Brave,” “Quantico,” and “Chicago PD.” In 2020, she participated in the 29th season of “Dancing with the Stars”.
Heche’s peers in Hollywood responded to news of his accident with support. Her ex-partner and ‘Men in Trees’ co-star James Tupper, with whom she shares one of her two sons, wrote on Instagram: “Thoughts and prayers for this lovely wife, actresses and mother tonight Anne Heche . We love you.”