Anne Heche was one of Hollywood’s biggest up-and-coming actresses in the 1990s before her career was transformed into tabloid fodder after she revealed her romantic relationship at the time with Ellen DeGeneres.
Heche died at the age of 53 years old following last week’s fiery car crash in California, her family confirmed. “We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,” a family representative said in a statement. “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.”
The shocking death was the final chapter of her fall from fame.
FAMILY CONFIRMS 53-YEAR-OLD ANNE HECHE’S DEATH ONE WEEK AFTER FIERY CAR CRASH
By the time Heche was 27 years old, she was already landing movie deals and was expected to become one of the most famous actresses at the time. However, when she told managers she wanted to go public with her budding relationship with DeGeneres, at a time when same-sex relationships were widely looked down upon, she faced immediate pushback.
“I was told if I took Ellen [to a movie premiere], I would lose my Fox contract. I took Ellen to the premiere [anyway] and I was ushered out by security before the movie even ended and was told I was not allowed to go to my own after-party for fear they would get pictures of me with a woman,” Heche told Page Six in 2020. “It changed my life forever. The stigma attached to that relationship was so bad. … I didn’t do a studio picture for 10 years. I was fired from a $10 million picture deal.”
After the two went public, their relationship exploded in the public eye. However, Heche said work offers began to dwindle — even though her recent projects, such as the romantic comedy Six Days Seven Nights in 1998, were doing well at the box office.
But things only got worse when the pair split in 2000 and Heche was admitted to a psychiatric unit. Heche had reportedly taken ecstasy and driven her car into the desert, later knocking on the door of a stranger’s home who welcomed her in and called the police.
A year later, Heche married cameraman Coleman Laffoon, and the pair gave birth to a son in 2002. Despite being in a heterosexual marriage, her career did not return to the expected big-budget offers, she said. Heche later garnered more tabloid headlines after leaving Laffoon in 2007 and having a child with actor James Tupper in 2009.
Although she never returned to starring in several blockbuster movies, Heche managed to secure a role in the upcoming movie titled Girl in Room 13, which is set to air in September. She also landed a role hosting a new HBO show The Idol alongside The Weeknd in September.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
However, things took a tragic turn after the actress crashed into a home in Mar Vista, California, causing both the house and the car to catch on fire. Heche was then transported to a hospital to be treated, but she later succumbed to her injuries on Friday.
An investigation into the actress had been elevated from a misdemeanor to a felony DUI after a tenant of the damaged home sought medical care for minor injuries and blood tests identified the “presence of narcotics” in her system at the time of the accident, the Los Angeles Police Department said prior to Heche’s death.
Ahead of the news of the LAPD’s investigation, social media began speculating that Heche was intoxicated while driving, leading to the crash. An episode of the actress’s podcast, in which she admitted to drinking both vodka and wine while slurring her words, had been published just hours before the accident. It was later deleted.
