Heche suffered burns and an inhalation injury after her car accident in August 2022. The Los Angeles County coroner has determined that Anne Leches’ death was an accident, resulting from inhalation and thermal injuries. The actor drove her car into a home on August 5.
What caused Anne Heche’s death?
On August 5, 2022, Heche was involved in a sequence of three motor vehicle collisions in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles. The final collision was the most serious and resulted in critical injuries to Heche and destruction of a house. The first collision occurred when her vehicle collided with an apartment garage, causing minor damage. A video from TMZ shows her Mini Clubman at the scene of the accident and an unknown man yelling “Out of the car!” at the driver.
The vehicle reversed and left the scene of the accident. The driver in the picture released by TMZ is said to be Anne Heche. TMZ also said that Heche's car hit a Jaguar and didn't stop, but the other driver was not hurt. An accompanying video shows the Mini Clubman moving at a high speed down an alleyway and narrowly missing a pedestrian. A doorbell video shows Heche’s vehicle driving very fast along a neighborhood street just before the final crash. A few seconds later, you can hear the crash.
In the final crash, her vehicle struck a house and then continued into the building, penetrating 30 feet into the structure. Heche was trapped inside. The vehicle ignited, rapidly spreading fire throughout the building. The house fire took 65 minutes to put out and it took 59 firefighters to do it. It took 45 minutes for the firefighters to access and fully extricate Heche from the vehicle after their arrival on the scene. Initially, they were not aware that a person was trapped in the vehicle itself.
Heche had suffered burns and smoke inhalation when she was rescued. The house was left structurally damaged and unfit for habitation. The tenant who was living in the house at the time of the collision suffered only minor injuries, but her attorney says that she and her pets were almost killed and that she lost all of her personal property in the fire.
Police said that Heche appeared to be intoxicated and was acting erratically at the time of the crashes. The Los Angeles Police Department said that a blood test showed that Heche had both cocaine and drugs, including fentanyl, in her system. A more thorough drug test was postulated to find out if the drugs were given to her by the hospital or if she took them earlier. The second test could take from 30 to 90 days to finish.
Heche’s Injuries
Heche was removed from the crash scene on a stretcher, and footage from the scene showed her sitting up and fighting with paramedics. However, she soon lost consciousness. She was initially taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for urgent medical care, and then to the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital for specialized burn care.
A representative for Heche said on August 8 that she was in a coma and in critical condition. The accident had caused respiratory injury, and she needed medical ventilation to help her breathe. The representative said that previous reports of Heche being in stable condition were incorrect.
The representative said on August 11 that Heche was not expected to survive because of an anoxic brain injury, but she was being kept on life support to see if her organs could be used for donation, as she had said she wanted to be an organ donor. Heche was declared brain-dead a few hours later, but remained on life support to see if the organs would be usable and find people who would take them. Heche was considered legally deceased under California law at that time.
It was announced on August 14 that organ recipients had been found and that her body would undergo the organ donation procedure that day. In tribute to her organ donation, hospital staff held an honor walk for Heche. That evening, her publicist announced that she had been removed from life support peacefully.
The office of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner said that Anna's death was an accident because she died from inhalation and thermal injuries and from a broken sternum due to blunt trauma. Anne Leches’ cremated remains were buried in the mausoleum at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on August 23, 2022.
Who was Anne Heche?
Anne Celeste Heche was an American actress who was known for her work in a variety of genres in film, television, and theater. She received numerous accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and multiple Emmy Awards.
Heche’s professional acting career began on the soap opera Another World from 1987 to 1991, where she portrayed the twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love. She received a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991. In the first half of the 1990s, her acting career went up, especially for her role in the independent film Walking and Talking in 1996. Her supporting role in the crime drama Donnie Brasco in 1997 also got attention.
Further prominent roles followed in 1997, including Volcano, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Wag the Dog. Heche gained further prominence with her leading role in the romantic comedy Six Days, Seven Nights, opposite Harrison Ford, in 1998. In addition, she starred in Gus Van Santa’s shot-for-shot remake of Psycho, which was released in 1998.
Heche took on less acting roles from 1999 to 2001 and concentrated on directing projects, most notably a segment of If These Walls Could Talk 2 in 2000. From the 2000s on, her acting roles were mostly in independent films, TV shows, and some stage roles.
In 2004, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the Broadway revival of the play Twentieth Century and a Primetime Emmy Award for the television film Gracie's Choice. She also starred in an acclaimed supporting role in the supernatural drama Birth. Other movies include Cedar Rapids in 2011, Catfight in 2016, and My Friend Dahmer in 2017.
Heche also appeared in a number of dramatic television series, including Men in Trees from 2006 to 2008 and Hung from 2009 to 2011. She appeared as a contestant on the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars in 2020.
Events in Heche’s personal life often overshadowed her acting career. From 1997 to 2000, she was in a high-profile same-sex relationship with comedian Ellen DeGeneres, sometimes described as “the first gay super couple”. After she broke up with DeGeneres in 2000, she had a very public psychotic break in which she showed up at a ranch house outside of Fresno, California saying that she was an entity named "Celestia" who would take humanity to heaven in a spaceship.
Heche was born on May 25, 1969, in Aurora, Ohio. She was the youngest of five children of Donald “Don” Joe Heche and Nancy Heche. During Anne's early childhood, the Heche family lived in various towns in the suburbs of Cleveland and Akron, Ohio.
Her parents were fundamentalist Christians and the family was raised in a deeply religious environment, a situation that she later likened to being “raised in a cult”. At the same time, Don Heche led a lifestyle that was unstable and changed professions often. He also had a gift for music that led to jobs as a choir director in several churches. Heche noted in her memoir that her family changed denominations several times depending on which church her father found work in.
FAQs
Q. How old was Anne Heche?
A. Anne Heche was born on May 25, 1969. She was 53 years old.
Q. Where was Anne Heche from?
A. Anne Heche was from Akron, Ohio, USA.
Q. How did Anne Heche die?
A. Heche suffered burns and an inhalation injury in August, after her car accident earlier in that month. Anne Leches' death was determined to be an accident by the Los Angeles County coroner. On August 5, the actor drove her car into a home.
Q. When did Anne Heche die?
A. Anne Heche died on August 11th 2022.
