Anne Heche Dies at 53 Following Los Angeles Car Crash

Anne Heche, a Daytime Emmy Award-winning and Tony-nominated actor, was pronounced dead on Sunday at West Hills Hospital in Los Angeles — nine days following a traumatic car accident in which Heche crashed into a two-story home in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles. She had been declared brain-dead on Thursday, but was kept on life support in order to determine whether any of her organs would be viable for donation. She was 53.

Heche began her career in the world of soap opera, earning a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991 for her performance on the daytime drama, Another World. She moved on to Hollywood, taking on notable film roles in Walking and Talking, Donnie Brasco, Wag the Dog, and the romantic comedy Six Days, Seven Nights.

Heche made her Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony-winning production of David Auburn's Proof. She took over the role of Catherine, originated by Mary-Louise Parker (who earned a Tony Award for her performance) and subsequently played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. Heche returned to Broadway in 2004 as Lily Garland in a revival of Twentieth Century, adaptated by Ken Ludwig and directed by Walter Bobbie. She starred opposite Alec Baldwin in a cast that also included Dan Butler, Tom Aldredge, and Julie Halston, and earned a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play.

In the latter years of her career, Heche appeared on various TV series including Chicago P.D. and the courtroom drama All Rise, and in 2020, was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars.