Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Anne Heche on Life Support, Survival of Crash 'Not Expected'
News
By News
Published 3 years ago on
August 12, 2022

Share

 

Anne Heche is on life support after suffering a brain injury in a fiery crash a week ago and her survival isn’t expected, according to a statement from a representative.

The actor, who is in a coma and in critical condition, is being kept on life support for possible organ donation, according to the statement released Thursday night on behalf of her family and friends.

Heche, who’s been hospitalized at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital north of Los Angeles, suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury,” the statement said. Such an injury is caused by a sustained lack of oxygen to the brain.

“She is not expected to survive,” the statement said. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.”

On the morning of Aug. 5, Heche’s car smashed into a house in a neighborhood in west Los Angeles and a fire erupted with the car embedded inside the home.

Earlier Thursday, police said they were investigating Heche for driving under the influence. Detectives with a search warrant took a sample of her blood and found narcotics in her system, LAPD spokesperson Officer Jeff Lee said.

Toxicology tests, which can take weeks to complete, must be performed to identify the drugs more clearly and to differentiate them from any medication she may have been given for treatment at the hospital.

Evidence is still being gathered from the crash, police said, and they would present a case to prosecutors if it is warranted when the investigation is complete.

A representative for Heche declined comment on the investigation.

On Tuesday, Heche spokesperson Heather Duffy Boylston said she had been in a coma since after the accident, with burns that required surgery and lung injuries that required the use of a ventilator to breathe.

“Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit. 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,” Thursday’s statement said. “She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.”

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.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Pro-Palestinian Protest Erupts at Columbia University Library, Some Turned Over to Police

DON'T MISS

State Center Trustees Turn Deaf Ear to Backers of Downtown Student Housing

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Douglas Kindle

DON'T MISS

US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal Does Not Include Israel, Says Houthi Spokesperson

DON'T MISS

Iran’s Leader Hopes America Can Save His Faltering Regime

DON'T MISS

Syria Has Had Indirect Talks With Israel to Calm Situation, Syrian Leader Says

DON'T MISS

Kaiser in the Hot Seat as CA Lawmakers Blast Company for Skipping Mental Health Hearing

DON'T MISS

Finding New Uses for Farmland in the Heart of Ag Country Is a Daunting Task

DON'T MISS

Black Smoke Signals No Pope Elected at First Conclave Vote

DON'T MISS

Judge Demands Trump Officials Detail Legal Grounds for Deporting Palestinian Activist

UP NEXT

Trump Says He Will Put 100% Tariff on Movies Made Outside US

UP NEXT

Jury Selection Underway in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Trafficking Trial

UP NEXT

Grand Theft Auto VI Delayed Again, This Time Until May 2026

UP NEXT

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial to Delve Into the Seediest Side of Rap’s ‘Bad Boy’

UP NEXT

Here’s Why May the 4th Is Celebrated as Star Wars Day Across the Galaxy

UP NEXT

Lady Gaga to Draw 1.6 Million Fans to Copacabana, Boosting Brazilian Airlines and Rio’s Economy

UP NEXT

Fresno’s Audra McDonald Earns 11th Tony Nomination, Eyes Record Seventh Win for ‘Gypsy’

UP NEXT

This Summer at the Movies, Superheroes, From ‘Superman’ to ‘Fantastic Four,’ Return

UP NEXT

Kim Kardashian Jewel Heist Trial Starts in Paris

UP NEXT

Fresno Ranks Fourth in US for an Affordable Night Out

US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal Does Not Include Israel, Says Houthi Spokesperson

8 hours ago

Iran’s Leader Hopes America Can Save His Faltering Regime

9 hours ago

Syria Has Had Indirect Talks With Israel to Calm Situation, Syrian Leader Says

10 hours ago

Kaiser in the Hot Seat as CA Lawmakers Blast Company for Skipping Mental Health Hearing

10 hours ago

Finding New Uses for Farmland in the Heart of Ag Country Is a Daunting Task

11 hours ago

Black Smoke Signals No Pope Elected at First Conclave Vote

11 hours ago

Judge Demands Trump Officials Detail Legal Grounds for Deporting Palestinian Activist

11 hours ago

Tulare Murder Case Ends With Woman Sentenced to Life

11 hours ago

Housing Component Halted, but Fresno’s Senior Center Is Moving Forward

11 hours ago

Trump’s Budget Would Abolish Funding for English Learners, Adult Ed, Teacher Recruitment

12 hours ago

Pro-Palestinian Protest Erupts at Columbia University Library, Some Turned Over to Police

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Dozens of protesters stood on tables, beat drums and unfurled pro-Palestinian banners in the reading room of Colu...

6 hours ago

A pro-Palestinian protester yells to let students out of the Butler Library on the campus of Columbia University in New York, U.S., May 7, 2025. (REUTERS/Ryan Murphy)
6 hours ago

Pro-Palestinian Protest Erupts at Columbia University Library, Some Turned Over to Police

7 hours ago

State Center Trustees Turn Deaf Ear to Backers of Downtown Student Housing

Douglas Kindle is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for May 7, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
8 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Douglas Kindle

Smoke rises in the sky following U.S-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, February 25, 2024. (REUTERS/Adel Al Khader/File Photo)
8 hours ago

US-Houthi Ceasefire Deal Does Not Include Israel, Says Houthi Spokesperson

9 hours ago

Iran’s Leader Hopes America Can Save His Faltering Regime

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. (REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool)
10 hours ago

Syria Has Had Indirect Talks With Israel to Calm Situation, Syrian Leader Says

10 hours ago

Kaiser in the Hot Seat as CA Lawmakers Blast Company for Skipping Mental Health Hearing

11 hours ago

Finding New Uses for Farmland in the Heart of Ag Country Is a Daunting Task

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend