CNN
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Anne Heche’s son paid tribute to his mother Friday, saying the family had lost “a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend.”
In a statement Heche’s son, Homer Laffoon, 20, wrote: “My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom. After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness. Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom.”
Heche was in a car that was traveling at a high speed when it ran off the road and collided with a residence that became engulfed in flames on August 5, Los Angeles Police Public Information Officer Jeff Lee told CNN at the time.
A week after the crash, Heche was “brain dead” but remained on life support, according to a statement from her family and friends shared with CNN by their representative.
Heche has matched with an organ recipient and will be taken off life support on Sunday, a representative for her family told CNN.
Under California law, due to her condition, Heche is considered legally dead.
The family said in a previous statement Thursday night that it has “long been” Heche’s choice to donate her organs.
“We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,” the earlier statement from the family said. “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.”
Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury, which deprives the brain of oxygen, as a result the crash, according to the family’s representative.
A woman inside the home at the time of the crash suffered minor injuries and sought medical attention, according to Lee.
After it was announced that the actress was declared brain dead, the Los Angeles Police Department ended its felony investigation into the crash, a police spokesperson told CNN Saturday evening.
The department will continue acquiring some outstanding items it previously sought via search warrants, but “no further investigation towards prosecution will occur,” the spokesperson added.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Actress Anne Heche poses for a portrait in 2015.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche, seen here in 1990 with Russell Todd, won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance on the soap opera “Another World.” She played twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche, right, appears with Catherine Keener in the 1996 film “Walking and Talking.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche, left, holds hands with comedian Ellen DeGeneres at the world premiere of the movie “Face/Off” in 1997. The two dated for several years.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche stars with Tommy Lee Jones in the 1997 film “Volcano.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche and Johnny Depp in a scene from 1997’s “Donnie Brasco.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche appears with Robert De Niro in 1998’s “Wag the Dog.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche and Vince Vaughn in 1998’s “Psycho.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche stars with Harrison Ford in the 1998 film “Six Days, Seven Nights.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche signs a fan’s hat at the “Get Real” premiere in 1999.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche, right, directs Sharon Stone in a segment of the 2000 film “If These Walls Could Talk 2. DeGeneres, center, was also in the movie.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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From left, Stone, Michelle Williams and Heche hold Lucy Awards that were awarded in 2000 to the creators and cast of “If These Walls Could Talk” and “If These Walls Could Talk 2.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche married Coley Laffoon in 2001. They had a son together, Homer, before divorcing in 2009.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche and Laffoon walk with their son in 2002.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche attends the Los Angeles premiere of “American Splendor” in 2003.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche and boyfriend James Tupper arrive at an Emmy Awards reception in 2010. They had a son together, Atlas.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche and actress Conchata Ferrell perform at a theater in Santa Monica, California, during a cancer benefit in 2010.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche, center, appears on an episode of “Save Me” in 2013.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche and Juliette Goglia work with Michael J. Fox on a 2013 episode of “The Michael J. Fox Show.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche on a 2015 episode of “Quantico.”
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche takes a photo with her son Homer in 2017.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche takes a bow with other actors during a curtain call for the “Twentieth Century” benefit concert reading in 2019. Earlier in her career, Heche appeared in the Broadway play and was nominated for a Tony Award.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche dances with Keo Motsepe on the TV competition “Dancing With the Stars” in 2020.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche appears in an episode of “All Rise” in 2021.
Photos: Actress Anne Heche
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Heche attends the Directors Guild of America Awards in March.
In their message on Thursday, Heche’s family and friends thanked her care team at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital and paid tribute to Heche’s “huge heart” and “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,” the statement read.
Heche rose to fame on the soap opera “Another World,” where she played the dual role of twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love from 1987 to 1991. She earned a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance on the show.
Heche followed that success with numerous films, including “Donnie Brasco,” “Wag the Dog” and “Six Days Seven Nights” opposite Harrison Ford.
In more recent years, Heche has appeared in television shows like “The Brave,” “Quantico,” and “Chicago P.D.”
Following the crash, there was an outpouring of support for the actress from the Hollywood community. Her ex and former “Men in Trees” co-star James Tupper, with whom she shares one of her two sons, wrote on Instagram: “Thoughts and prayers for this lovely woman, actress and mother tonight Anne Heche. We love you.”
Ryan Tillotson, the producer of Heche’s podcast “Better Together,” said in a statement she was “irreplaceable” and will be remembered for “her big heart, her commitment to the people she loved, and the fearless way she fought for what she believed in.”
“More than a beloved host, Anne was my friend, collaborator, and a damn good actress. Anne added life to every room she entered with her tremendous energy and welcoming presence,” Tillotson said.
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