Anne Heche was taken off life support on Sunday night after her organs after her donated organs matched with suitable recipients. She was 53. The actress was on life support for nine days, following a horrific car crash on August 5 wherein she swerved her car into a Los Angeles apartment suffering severe burns.
Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and lung damage from smoke inhalation and slipped into a coma. Although it was initially reported that she was stable, her condition never improved. She Heche was declared brain dead on Friday, which the state of California deems to mean a person is legally dead. However, she was kept on life support to harvest her heart.
Finally at Peace
Over the weekend, surgeons removed multiple organs from Heche's body for donation, according to sources who spoke to TMZ. However, the doctors didn't how many or which organs were removed.
Heche was consequently set to be removed from life support on Sunday, more than a week after she was left in her burning car for 30 minutes while 59 firefighters attempted to save her. Hours after the organs were removed, she was taken off life support. "Anne Heche has been peacefully taken off life support," a rep, Holly Baird, told The New York Post on Sunday night.
"It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she's being kept on life support to determine if any are viable," a rep for Heche told the Daily News prior to Sunday.
The actress, who is best known for playing Patricia Campbell in the NBC drama "The Brave," never regained consciousness after sustaining severe burns in a car accident on August 5 in Los Angeles.
Heche is survived by her sons Homer and Atlas. Coleman "Coley" Laffoon, Homer's father and Heche's ex-husband, paid the actress a moving tribute on Saturday.
"In the wake of Anne's passing, I just wanted to say a few things: One, I love her and I miss her, and I'm always going to. Two, Homer is OK," Laffoon said in a video posted on Instagram.
"He's grieving of course, and it's rough, it's really rough s probably anybody can imagine," Laffoon continued. 'But he's surrounded by family and he's going to be OK.
"So for all those people checking in, thank you for checking in, showing us your heart, offering prayers and everything. It's so beautiful. Thank you."
Tragic End
A horrifying video captured the actress minutes before the collision driving at high speed straight into a busy road. Heche was driving her Mini Cooper at 90 mph when she first crashed into a garage and then sped away from the scene before crashing into the two-story home of Lynne Mishele, who sustained serious injuries.
Authorities launched a felony investigation because of the serious injuries sustained by Mishele. It took 59 firefighters more than an hour to put out the fire in the house, and it took another 30 minutes to free Heche from the burning automobile that had burst in the collision.
According to a report, Heche was under the influence of cocaine when she rammed her blue Mini Cooper head-on into the suburban LA home, starting a serious fire. Shortly after rescuing the actress from the rubble, the LAPD acquired a warrant to test her blood alcohol content as well.
Heche's car was also seen to contain a small bottle of vodka, although initial blood tests conducted following her hospitalization revealed no signs of alcohol in her system. The tests also revealed fentanyl, although it is now unknown if it was in her bloodstream at the time of the accident because hospitals also use fentanyl for pain management.
However, police closed their investigation into the horrible accident after she was declared brain dead.
