American actress Anne Heche was pronounced dead on Friday August 12 at the age of 53. The actress, who appeared in numerous films in the 1990s, had been in a coma in hospital since a serious brain injury caused by a violent car collision on August 5.
Having lost all her brain functions, Anne Heche “is legally deceased under California law” but his heart still beats in order to facilitate organ donation, his spokeswoman Holly Baird told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Today we lose a radiant light, a gentle and so joyful soul, a loving mother and a loyal friend”the family said in a joint statement. “Anne will be deeply missed, but her wonderful sons, her immense work and her passionate fights will survive her”she adds.
“My brother Atlas and I have lost our mother”his son Homer Laffoon said in a separate statement. “I hope my mother is no longer in pain”he added.
The accident caused “a serious fire”
Thursday, a press release from a representative of the actress quoted by several American media already warned that she was in a desperate state and only “kept alive in order to determine whether certain [de ses organes] are viable” for donations.
The press release also thanked the supporters of Mr.me Heche, as well as the caregivers who cared for her at the Grossman Burn Center. “Anne had a big heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit”continues the press release. “More than her extraordinary talent, she considered spreading kindness and joy to be her life’s work”says the text again before adding that we “will be remembered for her courageous honesty”.
The actress had been in a coma since her accident, when her car crashed into a two-story house in the Mar Vista neighborhood, “causing structural damage as well as a serious fire”, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It took 65 minutes and 59 firefighters to extinguish the fire, according to the same source.
Los Angeles police said in a statement Thursday that they would be conducting blood tests on Mr.me Heche and that the investigators were going “present the case to the appropriate judicial authority”. The police, however, did not give any details on possible legal consequences.
According TMZa publication specializing in celebrity coverage, which cites unnamed law enforcement sources, Mme Heche tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl, an ultra-potent and addictive synthetic opiate used in some treatments.
Anne Heche acted in a large number of films in the 1990s, including Six days, seven nights Where Donnie Brasco. She is also known for her role in the soap opera AnotherWorld, which won her a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991. In the 1990s, she had a highly publicized relationship with anchor Ellen DeGeneres.