Celebrities and friends of Anne Heche commemorate the actress, who died more than a week after a serious car accident on Sunday evening. Heche, 53, was taken off life support after being evaluated as an organ donor.
Ellen DeGeneres, who dated Heche from 1997 to 2000, called it “a sad day.”
“Sending all my love to Anne’s children, family and friends,” DeGeneres wrote on Twitter Friday after it was announced that Heche had been declared brain dead.
Heche was pulled from a burning car in Los Angeles after driving her vehicle into a house on August 5. The actress suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury” as a result of the accident and fell into a coma, according to a statement to USA TODAY.
Anne Heche dies at 53: The actress was taken off life support after a week in hospital
Anne Heche’s life before her car accident:The actress dated Ellen DeGeneres and struggled with mental health issues
Heche’s friend Nancy Davis, chair of the Race to Erase MS, called her “loving, kind, funny, adorable and beautiful” and said she would “miss her terribly.”
Heche had attended Race to Erase MS galas in the past to support the organization’s efforts to find a treatment for multiple sclerosis.
“Anne was always the kindest, most thoughtful person who always brought out the best in me,” Davis wrote on Instagram. “She supported @racetoerasems in whatever way she could and always said yes when she knew she could use her time, talent and creative genius to help find a cure for MS. My heart is broken.”
Anne Heche was in a coma before life support was removed.What you should know about comas.
Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba paid tribute to Heche, who took part in the show’s 29th season, and thanked her for being herself.
“We will miss your beautiful, unique and free spirited energy,” Inaba wrote. “I will always remember your performance on @officialdwts in that costume you danced with all your heart.”
Minions writer Brian Lynch paid tribute to Heche, saying, “She was so great at so many things.”
“I was fortunate enough to direct her in a pilot for an animated series a long time ago,” Lynch wrote. “I was nervous and she couldn’t have been more beautiful. So much fun. So funny. My thoughts are with her family and friends.”
So far: Anne Heche was hospitalized in critical condition after a serious car accident
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn praised Heche’s performance in the Broadway play Proof.
“Honest to God, I think maybe the best acting I’ve ever seen in my life was Anne Heche in PROOF on Broadway. #RIP,” Gunn wrote on Twitter.
Ted Geoghegan recalled Heche’s relationship with DeGeneres in a tweet on Friday: “Kids don’t know what it was like today, but I remember vividly when Anne Heche and Ellen Degeneres came out about their relationship in 1997. I was impressed and remember thinking, “This could really change things for people.” Thank you for taking this bold step, Anne.”
Straw Hut Media co-founder and CEO Ryan Tillotson, who produced Heche’s Better Together podcast, remembered the actress as “a friend, a collaborator, and a damn good actress.”
“It’s surreal to think I won’t see her every week anymore,” he wrote on Instagram. “Los Angeles is a calmer and sadder place without her; I can feel it. My heart hurts. i love you Please send all your love and support to her two boys, Atlas and Homer, and the rest of her chosen family.”
“Big Sky” star and sober recovery advocate Dedee Pfeiffer said in a statement to USA TODAY that her heart “breaks for Anne Heche and for everyone involved in this tragic story.”
“Addiction is extremely complicated and multifaceted. This is such a sad day and yet not an unknown day for many who know or love someone with an addiction.” Pfeiffer wrote, “It’s important to remember that this woman who was sadly active in her illness was also was a mother. Her children, like so many others, lost their mother to her illness. Out of respect for her family, it’s important to remember that addiction is a disease, not a choice.”
Earlier: Anne Heche was not expected to survive after a serious car accident that left her in a coma
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