US actress Anne Heche has been “peacefully taken off life support” after a suitable donor-recipient was found, a spokesperson has confirmed.
A representative for the late star confirmed her death to the PA news agency on Sunday. On Friday, the 53-year-old was legally declared dead after suffering a “severe anoxic brain injury” while crashing her car into a house in LA.
She had been kept on life support in case her organs could be donated. It is unknown how many organs will be donated, but according to NBC News, surgeons were ready to perform the implants.
In a statement, Heche’s spokesperson Holly Baird said the actress was “peacefully taken off life support” after a compatible person was found to receive her donated organs. Earlier on Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said they had concluded their investigation into Heche’s crash, which had left her in a coma.
“As of today, there will be no further investigative efforts made in this case,” they said in a statement.
“Any information or records requested before this turn of events will still be collected as they arrive as a matter of formalities and included in the overall case.
“When a person suspected of a crime expires [dies], we do not present for filing consideration.”
The department previously confirmed the crash was being investigated as a felony driving-under-the-influence (DUI) traffic collision after preliminary blood tests showed the presence of drugs in Heche’s system.
Additional testing was required to rule out substances administered in the hospital.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) said last week a “massive fire” broke out in his vehicle, which took 59 firefighters more than an hour to extinguish it completely.
Her family said that as well as the burns, the actress was left with a “serious anoxic brain injury”—when the brain was deprived of oxygen.
The two-storey house where she crashed was “uninhabited”.
Lynn Mitchell, the woman in whose house she tragically crashed, shared her grief over the news of the actress’s death on social media.
“The news of the passing of Anne Heche is devastating,” Mitchell posted online. “Her family, her friends and her children, in particular, have suffered a significant loss, and my heart goes out to them.
“This whole situation is just sad, and there are just no words,” she said. “I’m sending love to everyone involved.”
A fund to help Michel with costs has raised more than $174,000 (£146,000).
Heche was known for appearing in films including Volcano, Donnie Brasco and the remake of 1998’s Psycho. The mother-in-law also appeared on Dancing With the Stars, the US equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing, in 2020.
“Today, we lost a bright light, a kindest and happiest soul,” his family said in a statement on Friday. Those paying tribute included stars including actor Antonio Banderas and Heche’s former partner Ellen DeGeneres.