Inside The Last Year Of Anne Heche's Life Before Her Tragic Death

As the tragic details of Anne Heche's death are coming to light, fans are mourning the loss of the 53-year-old actor. Heche was involved in a nightmarish car crash on August 5, when she crashed her Mini Cooper into a Mar Vista home, starting a deadly fire. The crash left the "Seven Days Seven Nights" star in critical condition, per TMZ. 

A FOX11 reporter at the scene was shocked at the car crash site damage and was overheard saying (via Deadline), "If there's somebody alive in there, this is going to be a miracle." Although it seemed Heche might live despite the odds, on August 11, Heche's representative shared a tragic update about the star's condition. In a statement reported by People, the actor's rep said Heche's condition had taken a turn for the worse and that she was "not expected to survive."

But despite the tumultuous final week of Heche's life, the year before the "Vanished" actor's tragic death was actually bright and promising.

Anne Heche's career was going strong the year before she died, with a big TV series on the horizon. According to Variety, Heche starred with Lily-Rose Depp, "Saved by the Bell's" Elizabeth Berkeley, and musicians Troye Sivan and The Weeknd in the upcoming HBO series, "The Idol." An HBO release describes "The Idol" as a "self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult who enters into a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol." Sam Levinson, the executive producer of the upcoming series, is also behind the HBO hit "Euphoria."

According to IMDb, Heche has 93 acting credits to her name (along with 84 self-titled castings!), with multiple projects in pre and post-production. Over the last year, the actor played Corrine Cuthbert on the popular TV CBS series "All Rise" and starred in the disaster flick "13 Minutes," which she praised for its hopeful message. "I think we are all in a place where it's time to strip ourselves of any distinction or separation that we've had, and get together in any community, whether it's our church communities, or our school communities, or whatever it is," she told MovieFone about the film's connective themes. 

Anne Heche valued her role as a mom above all others. The actor was a proud mother of two sons, 20-year-old Homer and 13-year-old Atlas, per People. Heche shared her oldest son, Homer Laffoon, with her ex-husband Coley Laffoon. The "Wag the Dog" star shared her younger son Atlas with her ex-partner James Tupper. "Obviously, the miracle of life for a mother is just dumbfounding," Heche confessed to People after Atlas was born. "It's so hard to explain how wonderful it is to look in the eyes of a child that you're blessed with."

In May, the mom of two posted a photo with her sons on Instagram. In the picture, she's seen posing with Atlas and Homer in front of an empty playing field and wrote, "#luckiestmom."

On August 12, Homer released a statement confirming his mother's death. "My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom. After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness," he said in a statement obtained by People. "Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom." 

The year before she died, Anne Heche was coming to terms with her past. In a 2021 interview, the "Chicago P.D." the actor told Page Six she was blacklisted for her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, which lasted from 1997 until 2000. "This wasn't a long-term love affair," Heche explained. "This was a moment in my life when I was given the glory of being able to stand up for what I believe in and have since I was a kid." But the "Donnie Brasco" star noted she "didn't do a studio picture for 10 years," and she was "fired from a $10 million picture deal" after dating DeGeneres.

Speaking of DeGeneres, after news of Heche's death broke, the former TV host wrote on Twitter, "This is a sad day. I'm sending Anne's children, family and friends all of my love."

Anne Heche's romantic life was still blooming at 53, as rumors swirled in summer 2021 that Heche was dating skincare mogul Peter Thomas Roth. "Peter and Anne met through mutual friends in the Hamptons and have been dating for about eight weeks," a source told Us Weekly at the time. 

After her death, Roth took to Instagram to reflect on their connection. "What an amazing talent to pass so young. So sad. My #deepestcondolences to #anneheche #sons Homer and Atlas. great memories of #summerof2021 #greatgirl #greatmom," he penned.

Sadly, Heche mostly struggled for harmony in her love life. Heche and her partner James Tupper split up in 2018, and before Tupper, Heche went through a bitter divorce with her ex-husband Coley Laffoon. "The Volcano" star called her ex-husband a "lazy a**" on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 2009, claiming he lived off her checks. However, Laffoon had only kind things to say about his ex upon her death, saying in an Instagram video, "She came in hot and she had a lot to say and she was brave and fearless, loved really hard and was never afraid to let us know what she thinks and what she believed in. It was all about love so goodbye, Anne. Love you, thank you for the good times, there were so many."

Anne Heche seemed to be on an upward trend before her untimely death. At the Costume Designers Guild Awards in March, the actor looked like she was having a blast on the red carpet. Heche vamped for the cameras, and Yahoo U.K. reported the "All Rise" star looked stunning, rocking a sparkly green and gold dress with retro sunglasses and boots. In November 2021, Heche looked fabulous as she joined other stars to honor designer Christian Siriano. Heche joined Alicia Silverstone, Kate Beckinsale, and other stars to celebrate the second edition of Christian Siriano's book "Dresses to Dream About."

Moreover, when she wasn't strutting it on the red carpet, she was putting ardently working toward her craft. in a 2017 interview with Page Six, Heche promoted her movie, "The Last Word." When asked what her "last words" would be, the actor answered, "Hopefully that I made my children happy ... gave them a life that they love."