Emmy Award-winning actressAnne Hechehas died, PEOPLE has learned. She was 53.
“Today we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,” a rep for the star tells PEOPLE in a statement on behalf of Heche’s family and friends.
“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.”
The family’s rep confirms to PEOPLE that, while Heche is legally dead according to California law, her heart is still beating and she has not been taken off life support in order to allow OneLegacy Foundation enough time to find recipients who will be a match.
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Heche’s older of two sons, Homer,20, alsoexpressed his sadnessin an exclusive statement to PEOPLE.
“My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom,” he says. “After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness. Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom.”
He went on to acknowledge the outpouring of love he and his family has received from around the world.
“Over those six days, thousands of friends, family, and fans made their hearts known to me,” he says. “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.”
Anne Heche.Gregory Arlt
The news comes a week after shecrashed her carinto a house in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, leaving thehome destroyedand the actress incritical condition.
Shenever regained consciousness.
On Thursday, her rep shared that theprognosis was dire. “Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition,” the rep told PEOPLE in a statement on behalf of Heche’s family. “She is not expected to survive. It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she’s being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.”
The statement also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and for the care shown Heche in the aftermath of the devastating crash on Aug. 5.
“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 statement read.
Anne Heche.Michael Bezjian/Getty for Mammoth Media Institute
WATCH: Remembering Anne Heche
Shortly after releasing her first memoir,Call Me Crazy, in 2001, Heche made her Broadway debut in 2002 in a production ofProof, a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, and starred alongsideAlec Baldwinin Broadway’sTwentieth Centuryin 2004. She was nominated for Tony Award in best actress in a play.
The actress remained busy through the latter part of her career, with myriad projects, including her podcastBetter Together with Anne & Heather, beside Heather Duffy, and a starring role in Lifetime’sGirl in Room 13. She also appeared in Netflix’sPeter Facinelli-directed psychological thrillerThe Vanished, the 2021 disaster film13 Minutesand on OWN’s legal dramaAll Rise. She also appears in HBO Max’s upcoming seriesThe Idol.
Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
In addition to her career, Heche found herself in the public eye for datingEllen DeGeneresfrom 1997 until 2000.
In 2020, Hecheopened up about the public perception of their relationshipand how it affected her career during an episode ofDancing with the Stars.
“My movie premiere forVolcano, I had told them that I was taking Ellen as my date and I was told if I took Ellen I would lose my Fox contract,” she claimed on the dancing series, where she competed for the Mirrorball Trophy with professional dance partnerKeo Motsepe. “At that moment, she took my hand and said, ‘Do what they say,’ and I said, ‘No thanks.’ I took Ellen to the premiere and I was ushered out before the movie even ended and was told I was not allowed to go to my own after party for fear that they would get pictures of me with a woman.”
“She was warning me, ‘This is going to happen,'” Heche continued. “I was in a relationship withEllen DeGeneresfor three-and-a-half years and the stigma attached to that relationship was so bad that I was fired from my multi-million dollar picture deal and I did not work in a studio picture for 10 years.”
Heche furtherdiscussed the details of her relationshipwith DeGeneres, tellingMr. Warburtonmagazinein August 2020 that she was “part of a revolution that created social change, and I could not have done that without falling in love with her.”
RELATED VIDEO: Anne Heche on the Discrimination She Faced After Going Public with Her Relationship withEllen DeGeneres
Heche added that she is “proud to have been part of a revolution that helped move equality forward.”
“But there is still work to do,” she said. “I’ve paved this way for myself, and my honesty had every single thing to do with it. I think every interaction we have should begin with whether or not we can look at and talk to other human beings with 100 percent respect. My answer will always be ‘yes.’ We have to agree that it’s a possibility and that we all deserve it.”
In 2001, Hechemarried Coleman “Coley” Laffoonand had her first child, a son, Homer, now 20. The coupledivorcedin 2009.
Heche went on to have a relationship with actorJames Tupperand the two had a son,Atlas, now 13. The two dated for 10 years beforeseparatingin 2018.
Aproud mom to her two boys, Heche lastposted about them on Mother’s Day, writing below a photo of Homer and Atlas, her arms slung around them, “#luckiestmom.”
As for her legacy, “Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit,” the rep for Heche tells PEOPLE on behalf of the family. “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.”
source: people.com
