Anne Heche—the actress who starred in a string of high-profile late ’90s movies including Six Days Seven Nights, Donnie Brasco and Wag the Dog as well as Emmy-winning TV shows such as Men in Trees and the soap opera Another World—has officially been taken off life support after a horrific car crash, NPR reported.
Heche’s publicist said in a statement on Aug. 12 that the 53-year-old actress was declared legally dead under California law on Aug. 11, and she only remained on life support while doctors worked with the OneLegacy Foundation for organ transplantation.
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.
She won a Daytime Emmy in 1991 for playing twins on the soap opera Another World, on which she appeared for eight years beginning in 1984. Heche also competed in the 2020 season of Dancing with the Stars.
In the late 1990s, Heche dated Ellen DeGeneres, resulting in intense media attention at the time, CNN noted. Heche later said she was blacklisted because of the relationship.
DeGeneres 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,” according to Yahoo!