Celebrities and friends of Anne Heche remember the actress, who died Sunday evening more than a week after a violent car accident. Heche, 53, was taken off life support after being evaluated as an organ donor.
Ellen DeGeneres, who dated Heche from 1997 to 2000, called him “a sad day.”
“Sending Anne’s children, family and friends all my love,” DeGeneres wrote on Twitter Friday after news broke of Heche’s brain death.
Heche was pulled from a burning car in Los Angeles after it crashed into a house on August 5. The actress suffered “severe anoxic brain damage” as a result of the crash and fell into a coma, according to a statement to USA TODAY.
Anne Heche dies at 53: The actress was taken off respiratory system after a week in hospital
Anne Heche’s life before her car accident:The actress dated Ellen DeGeneres and struggled with mental health issues
Heche’s friend Nancy Davis, president of Race to Erase MS, called her “loving, kind, fun, endearing and beautiful” and said she would “be missed terribly”.
Heche had appeared at Race to Erase MS gala events in the past to support the organization’s efforts to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
“Anne has always been the kindest, most caring person who has always brought out the best in me,” Davis wrote on Instagram. “She was so supportive of anything she could do to help @racetoerasems and always said yes when she knew she could contribute something with her time, talent and creative genius to help find a cure for MS . My heart is broken.”
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‘Dancing With the Stars’ judge Carrie Ann Inaba paid tribute to Heche, who appeared on the show’s 29th season, and thanked her for being herself.
“Your beautiful, unique and free-spirited energy will be missed,” Inaba wrote. “I will always remember your performance on @officialdwts in that costume, dancing your heart out.”
“Minions” writer Brian Lynch paid tribute to Heche and said “she was so great at so many things.”
“I had the good fortune to direct her in a pilot presentation for an animated show a long time ago,” Lynch wrote. “I was nervous, and she couldn’t have been more beautiful. So much fun. So funny. My thoughts are with her family and friends.”
Previously: Anne Heche hospitalized in critical condition after violent car accident
James Gunn, director of “Guardians of the Galaxy” praised Heche’s performance in the Broadway play “Proof”.
“Honestly I think maybe the best acting performance I’ve ever seen in my life was Anne Heche in PROOF on Broadway. #RIP,” Gunn wrote on Twitter.
Ted Geoghegan recalled Heche’s relationship with DeGeneres in a tweet on Friday: “Kids today don’t know what it was like, but I vividly remember when Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres went public with their relationship in 1997. I was impressed and I remember thinking, ‘This could really make a difference for people.’ Thank you for taking this step so bravely, Anne.”
Ryan Tillotson, co-founder and CEO of Straw Hut Media, which produced Heche’s “Better Together” podcast, remembered the actress as a “friend, collaborator and a damn good actress.”
“It’s surreal to think I won’t be seeing her every week anymore,” he wrote on Instagram. “Los Angeles is a calmer, sadder place without her, I can feel it. My heart hurts. I love you, Anne. Please send all your love and support to her two boys, Atlas and Homer, and the rest of his chosen family.”
“Big Sky” star and sobriety advocate Dedee Pfeiffer said in a statement to USA TODAY that his heart “breaks for Anne Heche and for everyone involved in this tragic story.”
“Addiction is extremely complicated and layered. It is such a sad day and yet not a day unknown to many who have known or loved someone with an addiction.” Pfeiffer wrote. “It is important to remember that this woman who was sadly active in her disease was also a mother. Her children lost their mother to her illness, like so many others. Out of respect for your family, it’s important to remember that addiction is a disease, not a choice.
Earlier: Anne Heche was ‘not supposed to survive’ after fiery car accident left her in a coma