Anne Heche passed away at 53 following a fatal car crash. The reason for her death has finally been revealed. According to Page Six, Heche died of smoke inhalation and the thermal injuries she sustained in her August 5 car crash. The Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner listed sternal fracture due to blunt trauma as a contributing factor to her death, which was ruled accidental.
Sternal fractures result from a person's chest striking the steering wheel, with a slightly higher prevalence in female drivers, reported Page Six. Heche, who was declared brain dead on August 12, had been taken off life support on August 15 after matching with an organ donor recipient. "We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend. Anne will be deeply missed, but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work and her passionate advocacy," Heche's representative told Page Six at the time.
They added, "Her bravery for always standing in her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact."
The Emmy winner crashed her Mini Cooper into an LA home in the Mar Vista neighbourhood, igniting a blaze on the afternoon of August 5. The eyewitness stated that she first slammed into the garage of a nearby apartment complex before backing up and speeding off.
Los Angeles Police Department West Traffic Division officials previously confirmed she hit another vehicle before bulldozing into the house that caught fire. Heche's representative told Page Six that she suffered a severe anoxic brain injury, a significant pulmonary injury that required mechanical ventilation and burns that required surgical intervention.
The actor slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness. Investigators were reportedly able to determine that she was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the crash.
Heche is survived by 20-year-old son Homer Laffoon, whom she co-parented with ex-husband Coleman 'Coley' Laffoon, and 13-year-old son Atlas Heche Tupper, whom she shared with ex-boyfriend James Tupper.
-with ANI inputs
