Anne Heche to be taken off life support after organ recipients are identified: Actress was declared brain dead one week after she crashed her car into a Los Angeles home

• Actress Anne Heche, 53, was scheduled to be taken off life support on Sunday after health officials found suitable organ recipients
• She had been on life support for over a week following an August 5 crash in which she swerved her blue Mini Cooper into a Los Angeles home
• The impact of the crash set off a large fire, and Heche was stuck in her fiery car for about half an hour before she could be rescued
• Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and lung damage from smoke inhalation in the aftermath
• She was pronounced brain dead on Friday, which in California means a person has died even though she was still on life support to preserve her organs

Actress Anne Heche will be taken off life support on Sunday after health officials found suitable organ recipients.

Heche, 53, spent a week on life support following an August 5 crash in which she swerved her blue Mini Cooper into a Los Angeles home, and suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and lung damage from smoke inhalation.

She was pronounced brain dead on Friday, one week after the crash, which in California means a person has died, though she was kept on life support to preserve her organs while authorities worked to find people who could use them.

Surgeons are now ready to remove multiple organs, unnamed sources told TMZ on Sunday, though they did not reveal which ones or how many.

As a result, TMZ reports, Heche was scheduled to be taken off of life support on Sunday, more than one week after she stayed in her fiery car for half an hour while 59 firefighters tried to rescue her.

Heche is survived by her sons Homer and Atlas.

Anne Heche, 53, was scheduled to be taken off life support on Sunday after health officials found suitable organ recipients

Heche had remained on life support for over a week, after she crashed her blue Mini Cooper into a Los Angeles home, and suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and lung damage from smoke inhalation. She is pictured here being carried out on a stretcher

Authorities say Heche first crashed into a garage, then sped away from the scene and barreled 90 mph into the two-story home of Lynne Mishele, who sustained serious enough injuries that police opened a felony investigation.

Terrifying video showed the actress driving at high speed, straight into a busy road, moments before the crash.

It took 59 firefighters over an hour to extinguish the blazing house – and half an hour to extract Heche from the fiery car, which exploded in the crash.

A small bottle of vodka was pictured in Heche’s car, but preliminary blood tests performed after she was hospitalized did not find alcohol in her system.  

By Thursday, Heche’s team announced she was ‘not expected to survive’ the injuries she sustained in the crash, and the very next day, her family released a statement saying she was now considered dead

‘Today we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend.

‘Anne will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work, and her passionate advocacy. 

‘Her bravery for always standing in her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact.’

A small bottle of vodka was pictured in Heche’s car, but preliminary blood tests performed after she was hospitalized did not find alcohol in her system. It did show, however, that she had cocaine and fentanyl in her system at the time the blood was taken in the hospital

Authorities say Heche barreled into a two-story Mar Vista home at 90mph on August 5

The impact of the crash set off a large blaze, which it took 59 firefighters an hour to extinguish 

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the crash caused ‘structural compromise and erupting in heavy fire.’  Heche’s Mini Clubman is seen here in the aftermath

In the aftermath, the Los Angeles Police Department announced it was dropping its felony investigation into the crash.

‘As of today, there will be no further investigative efforts made in this case,’ the LAPD said in a statement.

‘Any information or records that authorities that have been requested prior to 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, we do not present for filing consideration.’

They explained to People, this means ‘there will be no further investigative efforts made in this case,’ but ‘any information or records that have been requested prior to this turn of events will still be collected as they arrive as a matter of formalities.’

 The house Heche crashed into on August 5 is owned by Jennifer Durand, but was being rented out by Lynne Mishele. 

Fortunately, Mishele was in a different section of the house when the crash occurred and escaped unharmed, along with her two dogs Bree and Rueban and her pet tortoise Marley.

But the crash has made the home unlivable as it compromised the building’s structural integrity and Mishele was forced to vacate the house directly after the crash.

Along with losing the house, Mishele also lost ‘her entire lifetime of possessions, mementos, all equipment for her business including her laptop and iPad, all of her clothing and basic necessities,’ according to a GoFundMe set up for her. 

‘With firefighters’ help, she was able to pull a few damaged sentimental belongings from the wreckage. Everything else is gone.’ 

Mishele was photographed looking on in disbelief as her life’s work erupted in a fireball after the actress tore through it at breakneck speed.

She was seen on the sidewalk outside with her hands in her pockets looking gobsmacked as the firefighters battled the huge blaze, which took an hour to put out.

But in a video statement on Instagram, Mishele expressed her sorrow for Heche and her family.

‘The news of Anne Heche passing is devastating,’ she said in the video.

‘Her family and her friends and her children especially really have suffered a great loss and my heart goes out for them.

‘This entire situation is tragic and there really are just no words. I am sending love to everyone involved.’ 

Lynne Mishele, who was renting the home, later released a video statement expressing her sorrow for Heche’s death

Meanwhile, Heche’s ex-husband, Coley Laffoon broke his silence on Heche’s passing in a video statement on Saturday.

In the video, posted to his Instagram, Laffoon says, ‘In the wake of Anne’s passing, I just wanted to say a few things: One, I love her and I miss her, and I’m always going to. Two, Homer is OK.’

‘He’s grieving of course, and it’s rough, it’s really rough s probably anybody can imagine,’ Laffoon continued. ‘But he’s surrounded by family and he’s going to be OK.

‘So for all those people checking in, thank you for checking in, showing us your heart, offering prayers and everything.

‘It’s so beautiful. Thank you. 

‘It’s hard for me, it’s hard for me, it’s hard for my family, it’s really hard for Homer, but we’ve got each other ad we have a lot of support and we’re going to be OK.’

Laffoon added that he believes ‘Anne is free from pain and enjoying her experience, whatever is next in her journey.

‘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,’ he noted.

‘It was all about love, so goodbye, Anne.

‘Love you, thank you for the good times, there were so many.

‘And in the meantime, I got our son, and he will be fine.’ 

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