© 2025 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support community focused, fact driven journalism as a Leadership Circle Member today.

Coroner rules Anne Heche's death an accident

Heche suffered burns and an inhalation injury after she crashed her car earlier this month.
Mike Coppola
/
Getty Images
Heche suffered burns and an inhalation injury after she crashed her car earlier this month.

The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Anne Heche's death an accident, caused by inhalation and thermal injuries.

The actor crashed her car into a home on Aug. 5. She was declared legally dead two days before her family removed her from life support on Sunday. She was 53.

According to the coroner's report, Heche also suffered a sternal fracture due to blunt trauma. Her body has been released to her family.

Heche is known for her roles in the 1990s films Volcano, Donnie Brasco, and Six Days, Seven Nights. She then pivoted to TV, appearing on shows such as Everwood, Nip/Tuck, and starring in the ABC show Men in Trees.

After her death, her eldest son, Homer Laffoon issued a statement saying, "Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
Andrew Limbong is a reporter for NPR's Arts Desk, where he does pieces on anything remotely related to arts or culture, from streamers looking for mental health on Twitch to Britney Spears' fight over her conservatorship. He's also covered the near collapse of the live music industry during the coronavirus pandemic. He's the host of NPR's Book of the Day podcast and a frequent host on Life Kit.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.