Update: Anne Heche passed away on August 12 at the age of 53. The original story continues below.
It’s been more than 20 years since Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres were in a relationship. And while both have had successful careers of their own since then, for many the two will likely always be connected. For that reason many have probably been waiting to see if Ellen made any public comments on the wild car accident Heche was recently involved in. Now she has, and while Ellen didn’t say much, she made it clear she hopes Heche is ok.
Ellen was approached by a paparazzi photographer who asked her if she had spoken with Anne Heche since the accident, which seems unlikely since reports are that Heche has been in a coma since the accident and has yet to regain consciousness. In a clip posted by ET, Ellen is clearly not interested in talking with the man, but does say that she doesn’t keep in regular contact with Heche. Ellen then joined the chorus of friends that certainly hopes Heche is ok. In her words…
I don’t. We're not in touch with each other, so I wouldn't know. [...] I don’t want anyone to be hurt.
While the long term injuries to Anne Heche are unclear, the most recent word is that she unfortunately is very hurt. As mentioned earlier, she reportedly fell into a coma shortly after the accident and has yet to awaken. Her reps have also said that a pulmonary injury is requiring mechanical intervention to help her breathe. She is also suffering from severe burns that will require multiple surgeries.
Last Friday, Heche drove her blue Mini Cooper into the side of an apartment building, then, according to witnesses who attempted to intervene, drove away at high speed. Shortly thereafter she crashed again into a residence. This second accident started a fire which destroyed the vehicle as well as the home she crashed into. Friends of the homeowner have started a GoFundMe that has raised over $130,000 to replace her lost home and posessions.
After initial reports that Anne Heche was stable following the accident, the more recent update from her people called her condition critical. The LAPD opened an investigation into the accident after it happened on Friday, but they have released no information from that investigation as of yet.
Anne Heche was who Ellen DeGeneres was dating when she initially came out publicly as gay. Ellen, a major sitcom star in the late '90s, was the highest profile actor to come out at the time making the whole thing a major media focus. Heche has made comments since then that she was blackballed by Hollywood due to the relationship. This includes a story that Heche has told that she needed Harrison Ford’s help to save her role in their romantic comedy Six Days, Seven Nights.
