Hollywood actress Anne Heche passed away after she was taken off the life-support system on Sunday night. She was 53.”Anne Heche has been peacefully taken off life support,” Holly Baird, a spokesperson for Heche’s family, said Sunday evening. The actress was kept on the life-support system until they found a suitable organ recipient.
She was declared brain dead after the car accident
The announcement came two days after Heche was declared brain dead from a brain injury. There were severe burns on her body after her car crashed into a home in the residential Mar Vista neighbourhood on Aug 5. Heche was pulled from the vehicle as the building erupted in flames. Thereafter, she was rushed to the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital in Los Angeles.
Last Friday, Heche was declared legally dead as per California law. As per the law, a person is dead after the official declaration, even though they still have a heartbeat. Heche had been kept on life support in case her organs could be donated.
On August 5, the actress rammed her Mini Cooper into a home in the LA neighborhood. After the terrible crash, the car caught fire and she was stuck in the car for an hour until she was rescued.
Heche sustained critical brain injuries. Moreover, her lungs got damaged due to the smoke she inhaled. The Emmy-winning actress went into a coma and ever since the accident, she never regained consciousness.
Heche was under drug influence during the crash
Earlier, her family issued a statement through the rep, stating, “Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remained in a coma, in critical condition.” Adding to it, “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 rep further stated to People magazine.
Her career started with the soap opera Another World
The actress is best known for her roles in 1990s films such as Volcano, the Gus Van Sant remake of Psycho, Donnie Brasco, and Six Days, Seven Nights. She launched her career on the daytime soap opera Another World. For this show, she earned a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991.
But Heche’s personal life led to perhaps even greater fame. She became a lesbian icon as a result of her high-profile relationship with Ellen DeGeneres.
