Actor Anne Heche has died a week after she was critically injured in a car crash.
A representative for the actor's family confirmed the news in a statement to TMZ.
"We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend. 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."
Ellen DeGeneres and Heche were together from 1997 to 2000. (Source: 1News)
The representative told TMZ Heche was "brain dead", which under California law is the definition of death.
“This is a sad day. I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love,” Ellen DeGeneres said on Saturday on Twitter amid reports of Heche's dire condition. They were a couple from 1997 to 2000.
It was revealed on Friday (NZT) the actor was on life support after suffering a brain injury in the crash and her survival wasn't expected.
On the morning of August 5, Heche's car smashed into a house in a neighbourhood in west Los Angeles and a fire erupted with the car embedded inside the home.
The actor had been a coma since after the accident, with burns which required surgery and lung injuries. Police are investigating Heche for driving under the influence.
Heche, 53, was among the most prominent film stars in Hollywood in the late 1990s, playing opposite actors including Johnny Depp (Donnie Brasco) and Harrison Ford (Six Days, Seven Nights). In a 2001 memoir, she discussed her lifelong struggles with mental health.
She recently had recurring roles on the network TV series Chicago P.D. and All Rise, and in 2020 was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars.
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