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HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS ANNE Heche has been “peacefully taken off life support” nine days after suffering a “severe anoxic brain injury” in a car crash.
A representative for the 53-year-old star confirmed her death to the PA news agency last night.
Heche had been in hospital since she was severely injured in the crash in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles on 5 August.
The actress, who rose to fame in the late 90s, suffered burns and a brain injury when she crashed her car into a house.
Heche had been classified as “legally dead according to California law” after the crash but kept on life support in case her organs could be donated.
The assessment took nine days.
Earlier on Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said they had concluded their investigation into Heche’s serious car crash.
“As of today, there will be no further investigative efforts made in this case,” police said in a statement.
“Any information or records that have been requested prior to this turn of events will still be collected as they arrive as a matter of formalities and included in the overall case. When a person suspected of a crime expires, we do not present for filing consideration.”
The department previously confirmed to the PA news agency that the crash was being investigated as a felony driving-under-the-influence (DUI) traffic collision after preliminary blood tests revealed the presence of drugs in Heche’s system.
However, additional testing was required to rule out substances administered in the hospital.
Heche’s family earlier shared a statement with PA saying she was “not expected to survive” her injuries and that she was being temporarily kept on life support – presumably while the assessment for organ donation took place.
The statement added: “We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne’s recovery and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses that cared for Anne at the Grossman Burn Centre at West Hills hospital.
“Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition. She is not expected to survive.
“It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.
“Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her 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.
“She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.”
Pictures and video footage obtained by US media outlet TMZ following the incident showed Heche driving a blue Mini Cooper, which was later pictured severely damaged at the scene.
The vehicle struck a two-storey home and “erupted in heavy fire” according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
Fifty-nine firefighters took 65 minutes to access, confine and fully extinguish the flames within the heavily damaged structure, according to an LAFD report.
Heche sustained a “significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation” and “burns that require surgical intervention”.
The actress earned recognition portraying twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love on the US soap opera Another World from 1985 to 1991 which won her a Daytime Emmy Award.
She rose to prominence in the late 1990s with roles in the crime drama film Donnie Brasco, alongside Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, the slasher movie I Know What You Did Last Summer and action comedy film Six Days, Seven Nights among others.
She also starred in the 1998 remake of Psycho.
She is the former partner of US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres – the pair began dating in 1997 before separating in 2000.
Heche later suggested their public relationship had led to her being blacklisted professionally, describing herself as “patient zero in cancel culture”.
As well as film roles, Heche appeared in multiple US television series including Men In Trees, Save Me and military drama television series The Brave.
More recently she was a contestant in the 29th season of Dancing With The Stars – the US version of Strictly Come Dancing – in 2020, but was eliminated in the third round.
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Our country fate is in the hands of fianna fail fine geal and the greens god help us
@Richard Doherty: it’s actually in the hands of everyone one who lives here to obey the restrictions and stop the spread of this dreadful Covid – the government are only helping us to get through this as much as you may dislike that
@Eugene McDonough:
Oh the dreadful Covid. Just well below the “ dreadful “ road Acident fatality rate , ban cars shut roads I say , save thousands of lives.
@Eugene McDonough: trouble is not everybody will obey hense growing amount of idio….protesting every week
@Richard Doherty: Our country’s fate is in OUR hands as it has been for the last 100 years. Maybe if people had followed the advice given and adhered to warnings about house parties , mask wearing etc we would not now be in position of level 5 lockdown . The entire country is now suffering because of the actions of those who were reckless . People are dying alone in ICU units , without the touch of a loving ones hands , people cannot attend funerals and are unable to grieve properly . Put the blame where it belongs .!!
@Eugene McDonough: how are they helping us? They give out conflicting advice, they send a 5 stage plan to every house in the country and continually deviate from it, they never properly set up contact tracing, several ministers and Senator went on a piss up that broke restrictions, they didn’t keep an eye on meat plants who we all know were not protecting their employees. they let people move to a new town for college before moving college online. They don’t even know their own advice. Last night they didn’t know what date restrictions come in. I do agree that some people need more personal responsibility but our Govermment have been an absolute shambles
@Eugene McDonough: sheep
@Richard Doherty: clown
@Eugene McDonough: Wow what a statement. We will be a bankrupt nation over this.
Have you even looked at what other nations are doing?
None of this carryon
@Dave McCabe: Bellend !!
@Vladimir Macro: I was in Italy in the Summer and it was business as usual. All the restaurants and bars busy, tourists and locals all enjoying life. Everywhere you went in Italy they took your temperature on entry, every restaurant took your temperature. Temperature scanners in the Airports and train stations. Got back to Dublin Airport and there was a lad walking around the arrivals with a clipboard and thermometer spot checking people’s temperature. Absolute joke shop
@David Garland: really… and Italy was the epicentre of this at one stage. Now there going back into lockdown .. I’ll take your “story” with a pinch of salt…… what an outright lia r….
@windbag: They are not going into a lockdown per se. Retail is still open bars and restaurants open to midnight just making it table service from 6pm. Focusing on worst hit areas.
@windbag: Sorry it’s not a story. Was in Venice, Florence and Rome. Every restaurant we ate in with a few exceptions took your temperature. If you wanted to go into any public building in any City including the Vatican your temperature was checked. In the three Cities we visited all the restaurants and bars were busy, tourists from all over Europe but none from Asia or America. In Florence it was so busy after 6pm you had to wear a mask outside on the street if the crowds got too busy, the Police would ask you to put it on but it was only in some places.. But mostly it was like Ireland, masks on public transport and indoors. However everywhere was busy, people spending money. Got back to Dublin and it was like a ghost town. People banned from doing anything..
@Dave McCabe: death isn’t the only consequence. People are ending up disabled or with permanent organ damage.
So now instead of having more time to shop socialise and drink. people Now have to get it all done in the 3 weeks before Christmas shops will be mobbed with people who would of normally done their shopping in November. Great thinking.
@Cian: forget Christmas now for Gods sake! Nobody cares! We can’t just all have a bumper xmas because of this now! That makes no sense
@Cian: or you could shop online. Most Irish shops are still operating online or click/phone and collect
@Jonnie Marre: speak for your bloody self. I care. Covid has taken enough of me this year. Its not taking my da-mn Christmas.
@Cian: virus will go viral in December!
@Cian: easy to shop online or have a small Christmas. I’ll be glad for it honestly. I’m very broke this year. I’ll probably do most of my shopping in a big tesco. F&F do really nice pjs.
Think I’ll be heading north this Christmas
@Kyle: I’d love to be heading north to see my parents whom I have only seen once since this started. Hopefully travel restrictions will be gone. Wonder how many people from border counties will be travelling north to do their Christmas shopping. Weak pound, shops open hospitality open. It’s looking unlikely we’ll even have Christmas lights in city centres.
@Anne Marie Devlin: they are driving the country into the ground. This is money being spent that has to be paid back by me and you. It wont be long till we owe the same amount anglo irish bank cost us. That’s more austerity, prices going up. And on top of that they are crucifying the population to make up for the disaster which is our health system. It would have been cheaper to buy up the whole private health system and implement slaintecare. At least we would have a decent health service at the end of it all. I’m going north as soon as they open just for a break. I need outa here
@Anne Marie Devlin: you could have went up north anytime after june till now. Sorry to say but it’s your own fault you only went up once
@Anne Marie Devlin: can’t see how you only made it up once if you wanted to go more often
@Anne Marie Devlin: you’re not allowed to travel more than 5k
@Macca Attack: that’s the one time I went up
@Anne Marie Devlin: no restrictions would stop me visiting family especially elderly parents. That’s a necessity if there ever was one.
@John Lyons: yes for essential reasons. like being tortured at “home” and need to escape.
Under original level 3 indoor dining was permitted but then they started arsing around with the levels.
@Sam Harms: also the whole idea of a regional approach was to allow counties like Tipp which has quarter the infection rate of Cavan more freedom but this also went out the window. There will be way less compliance this time around as a lot of people don’t agree with the make it up on the fly strategy
@Sam Harms: Only in Ireland would they have you eating outside in the freezing cold to stop you getting sick.. Also the lack of seating in shopping centres is a joke. Elderly People have nowhere to rest and sit down for 10 mins. I firmly believe that we’re causing more illnesses than than anything else..
So even after this extremely harsh 6-week lockdown (unparalleled in Europe for this second wave), we will still have more stringent restrictions that everywhere else as the restaurants will still be shut. Great.
@Newto2016: Welcome to Ireland. Was it for this.. as a great man once said.
This is such a joke. When we were in lockdown for a few months, surely the government should have anticipated a second wave, right? We know more now than we did when the outbreak happened and yet the government doesn’t know if restaurants/pubs can open??? Seriously who is planning this sh!!tshow
@anastasia delila ✨: A strong response wouldn’t have resulted in a second wave. But we are where we are so we have to do our best.
@Munster1: I take it you’re in a guaranteed wage and have job security with a statement like that.
I feel heart sorry for any pub owner in this country. Closed for almost nine months. They got a window of two weeks and that was it. They should have been able to open with bar/restaurants. Never got a chance. Now being told by Varadkar that they won’t even get a shot at Christmas. How many will never open again.
Gyms having to close again is an absolute joke.
@Just Some Guy: It is completely a joke! I’ve felt more safe inside FlyeFit gyms than passing by certain streets in town where it is packed with drunk people. The government is turning a blind eye
Girlfriend laid off for the second time this year. This time till January. Government are a great bunch of C . Don’t worry though we’ll struggle for Christmas.
And I’m feeling uncertain about whether or not I’ll be able to go to my parents house for Christmas or not.
@Aaron: we all are. Just forget Christmas this year
@Aaron: It’s all in shambles. The people in power probably thinking of themselves since I bet they are able to travel and be home for Christmas with their families.
@Allison Smith: no
@Aaron: I wonder will Micheal Martin and any other T.D who lives outside the 5km stay in Dublin for Christmas??
this is just farcical from Ireland – the most extreme lockdown in EU and even after 6 weeks of this they are saying we cannot expect to have a social december with people INDOORS in pubs and restaurants – seriously – the anti alcohol zero covid brigade need to get some pouch back on this – the country is not north korea (yet) – we should not just accept these extreme restrictions to stop overwhelming health service only to be told that actually we are not letting you have a social life after the 6 weeks – its beyond disgraceful – france germany etc all have their societies open -albeit with curfews after 9pm – but this allows livlihoods and life go only in day time – why oh why do we have to put up with far more extreme measures on an island in the atlantic that should be much much much easier to manage a pandemic thann mainland europe – farce – get the 6 weeks outs the way – use the time to build up capacity and testing and tracing so that we can open up to some normality from dec 1st – and stop all this fear mongering and finger wagging nonsense – people are just sick of it
Was anything learned from earlier on the in the year? Half a year of wet pubs shut lead to the rise of the house party.. Just my views, but any wet pub i went too had good spacing, server masked up, contact traceing, hand sanatiser on tables,temp check in some, and always an option to leave if it got a bit busy.. Compare that too xmas partys in full swing, 10 or 20 people in a sitting room downing shots and danceing to despacito lol i know which i would prefare.
As I mentioned on another post, according to m. Martin we will proceed on a lockdown cycle in 2021 too …. https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/well-still-be-in-cycle-of-higher-and-lower-restrictions-through-2021-warns-taoiseach-39646744.html
@Paula Jones: If that happens half of us will be on the dole in a year and most SMEs will have shut down for good. All the while they seem to have no other strategies for managing the virus and inadequate tracking & tracing.
@Newto2016: agreed. I moved back home to Ireland recently after having lived abroad a number of years. I am now out of work and as a result of this current situation cannot find another job, my other half is the same. If this is the approach the government are saying they will now take for the next year or so while the rest of the EU have almost normal functioning economies/job markets then it looks like I will be forced to leave again where we will at least have some chance of work :/
@Paula Jones: this is Ireland country of panic people
@Newto2016: dead more like
You would run out of expletives to describe the shower of inepts governing us
So lockdown will only bring us back to level 3 so no pubs.
@Susan O’flaherty: yes lol our level 3 is on par with france state of emergency level.
People rise up destroy government and fake rules
@Mislav Smok: sounds good, but not because of this. How they’ve run the poor and disabled into the ground for decades would be a better reason.
So when the six weeks is up is the country going to be let loose for Xmas?
christmas every day you wake load a s;it now buy a turkey now for a tenner in lidl no running around a table and ya half scuttered with a sweeping brush in the kitchen and have to gut him and pluck him afterwards the good auld days me hole socks or a scarf ah stop
Pubs? What uncertainty. Certainty is that they will be shut and should stay shut.
@Splat: id!ot
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