Anne Heche Cause of Death Confirmed; New Car Crash Details Revealed
The tragic death of Anne Heche has officially been ruled an accident.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner released a report that delved into new details behind the passing of this Emmy Award-winning actress.
For starters, the actress star died from inhalation and thermal injuries stemming from a car crash on August 5, according to these official records.
Her manner of death was listed as an accident.
Per the coroner’s office, other “significant conditions” that contributed to her death included a sternal fracture due to blunt trauma, an injury that typically occurs after one’s chest strikes the steering wheel in motor vehicle collision.
On the aforementioned date, Heche was behind the wheel of her Mini Cooper when she slammed into a Los Angeles residence.
Both her car and the home caught fire as a result — and Heche immediately fell into a coma upon being taken to a local hospital.
The next after the crash, the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed in a video update that the car went 30 feet into the two-story home, which was deemed unsafe to enter after the fire was extinguished.
It took 59 firefighters over an hour to control the blaze.
The former Men In Trees star was declared legally dead on Friday, August 12.
“Today we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,” a rep for the star told said at the time.
“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.”
In the wake of her passing, Heche’s 20-year-old son, Homer Laffoon, who she shared with ex-husband Coley Laffoon, said in a heart-shattering message that he’s been “left with a deep, wordless sadness.”
He added:
“Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom.
“I am grateful for their love, as I am for the support of my Dad, Coley, and my stepmom Alexi who continue to be my rock during this time.”
In addition to Homer, Heche was also mom to son Atlas Tupper, 13, with James Tupper.
Heche got her big break on the soap opera Another World, starring on the daytime drama from 1987 to 1991.
The role won her a Daytime Emma Award.
She then enjoyed success on the big screen by landing feature roles in Volcano (1997), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), along with plenty of other movies.
Off screen, Heche made headlines in the late 1990s when she started dating Ellen DeGeneres.
The stars comprised one of the first openly gay couples in Hollywood; they dated for three years before calling quits in 2000.
“This is a sad day,” DeGeneres wrote on Twitter after the awful news of Heche’s death went public.
“I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love.”
