Inside The Last Year Of Anne Heche's Life Before Her Tragic Death

As the tragic details of Anne Heche's death are coming to light, fans are mourning the loss of the 53-year-old actor. Heche was involved in a nightmarish car crash on August 5, when she crashed her Mini Cooper into a Mar Vista home, starting a deadly fire. The crash left the "Seven Days Seven Nights" star in critical condition, per TMZ. 

A FOX11 reporter at the scene was shocked at the car crash site damage and was overheard saying (via Deadline), "If there's somebody alive in there, this is going to be a miracle." Although it seemed Heche might live despite the odds, on August 11, Heche's representative shared a tragic update about the star's condition. In a statement reported by People, the actor's rep said Heche's condition had taken a turn for the worse and that she was "not expected to survive."

But despite the tumultuous final week of Heche's life, the year before the "Vanished" actor's tragic death was actually bright and promising.

Anne Heche valued her role as a mom above all others. The actor was a proud mother of two sons, 20-year-old Homer and 13-year-old Atlas, per People. Heche shared her oldest son, Homer Laffoon, with her ex-husband Coley Laffoon. The "Wag the Dog" star shared her younger son Atlas with her ex-partner James Tupper. "Obviously, the miracle of life for a mother is just dumbfounding," Heche confessed to People after Atlas was born. "It's so hard to explain how wonderful it is to look in the eyes of a child that you're blessed with."

In May, the mom of two posted a photo with her sons on Instagram. In the picture, she's seen posing with Atlas and Homer in front of an empty playing field and wrote, "#luckiestmom."

On August 12, Homer released a statement confirming his mother's death. "My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom. After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness," he said in a statement obtained by People. "Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom." 

Anne Heche's romantic life was still blooming at 53, as rumors swirled in summer 2021 that Heche was dating skincare mogul Peter Thomas Roth. "Peter and Anne met through mutual friends in the Hamptons and have been dating for about eight weeks," a source told Us Weekly at the time. 

After her death, Roth took to Instagram to reflect on their connection. "What an amazing talent to pass so young. So sad. My #deepestcondolences to #anneheche #sons Homer and Atlas. great memories of #summerof2021 #greatgirl #greatmom," he penned.

Sadly, Heche mostly struggled for harmony in her love life. Heche and her partner James Tupper split up in 2018, and before Tupper, Heche went through a bitter divorce with her ex-husband Coley Laffoon. "The Volcano" star called her ex-husband a "lazy a**" on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 2009, claiming he lived off her checks. However, Laffoon had only kind things to say about his ex upon her death, saying in an Instagram video, "She came in hot and she had a lot to say and she was brave and fearless, loved really hard and was never afraid to let us know what she thinks and what she believed in. It was all about love so goodbye, Anne. Love you, thank you for the good times, there were so many."