Anne Heche, who remains hospitalized after crashing her vehicle into a Los Angeles residence last week, is "not expected to survive," according to a statement from her family and friends.
"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 statement read. "It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable."
An anoxic brain injury occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen.
"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 continued. "More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy as her life's work -- especially moving the needle for acceptance of who you love. She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light."
This is a developing story. Soap Central will continue to provide updates as they become available.
Soap Central's original article appears below.
Actress Anne Heche (ex-Vicky Hudson/Marley Love, Another World) is in a coma following a crash in Los Angeles that saw her car burst into flames.
The actress' rep tells Entertainment Tonight, “At this time Anne is in extreme critical condition. She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention."
The statement to ET comes hours after reports that Heche was in "stable condition."
The actress' ex-partner, Thomas Jane, also made a statement that revealed Heche is "expected to pull through."
He wrote, "While Anne and I are no longer an item, today's tragic news was devastating to me and to all who love her. My heart goes out to Anne and her two sons. My thoughts and prayers are with Anne, one of the true talents of her generation. Thank God no one else was hurt."
The news follows reports that the actress had been driving at a high rate of speed down an L.A. street on Friday, August 5, before crashing her car into a building and suffering severe burns.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash happened in the Mar Vista area of the city and sparked a "heavy fire" that took an hour to extinguish. Law enforcement officials confirmed to The Times that Heche was "under the influence and acting erratically" before the crash.
You might be too young to remember her as anything other than Ellen’s one time girlfriend but #AnneHeche got her start in daytime and she was nothing short of brilliant as Vicky/Marley on Another World. What’s happened to her is tragic. #MentalHealthMatters
— Michele Val Jean (@MicheleValJean) August 6, 2022
Heche is known for her roles in films such as Psycho, Donnie Brasco, and Cedar Rapids, though she first came to prominence playing Vicky Hudson and Marley Love on Another World from 1987 to 1991. She won a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Younger Actress category in 1991 and was also nominated in 1989 for her work on the NBC soap opera.
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