Over the years, Anne Heche has made a name for herself in various movie and TV projects — but it was her role as a mother that quickly became her favorite part to play.
The Ohio native first expanded her family in 2002 when she gave birth to son Homer. Heche and Coleman Laffoon called it quits three years after welcoming their first child. The Another World alum moved on with James Tupper and their son Atlas arrived in 2009.
Following her split from Tupper after nearly a decade, Heche later opened up about being a single mother of two young boys.
“It’s exactly like they say: girls like to sit and color and they are sweet and they let you comb their hair. Boys — my boys and every other boy I know — are active, active, active,” she said during an interview with Breezy Mama in 2013. “I play all these things I never thought I would play. Anything with a ball they love. Boys are cuddlers and lovers though. When you tire them out, they love to sit and cuddle their mama. That’s the blessing of boys.”
The Emmy winner continued to gush over her children as they got older. In honor of her youngest son’s 13th birthday, Heche took to social media to praise his impact on her life.
“Atlas is a TEEN-AGER? With the children being separated from their parents in the nonsense of hatred and war, I weep, I shared my tears last night,” she wrote via Instagram in March 2022, referring to the war in Ukraine. “Today I celebrate both of my sons for each of their monumental Birthdays. #13 #20 #loveourchildren #endthewar.”
Two months later, Hech shared a photo of her posing with her boys, writing via Instagram, “#luckiestmom.”
In August 2022, Us Weekly confirmed that the Return to Paradise star was in a car crash. At the time, the Los Angeles Police Department stated that a driver of a Mini Cooper ran off the road when it entered an intersection. The vehicle then collided with a house and was engulfed in flames.
A rep for Heche told Us that their client was “currently in stable condition,” adding: “Her family and friends ask for your thoughts and prayers and to respect her privacy during this difficult time.”
In a statement later that month, the rep clarified that the Broadway star fell into a coma amid the health scare. “At this time she is in extreme critical condition she has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention,” the statement read. “She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident.”
Less than one week after the accident, a spokesperson for Heche’s family confirmed that she would likely not survive after sustaining serious burns.
“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 Center at West Hills hospital,” the statement read. “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.”
The I Know What You Did Last Summer star died on August 12, 2022, after being declared brain dead at age 53.
Scroll down for a guide to Heche’s loved ones: