Anne Heche dead: Ellen DeGeneres reacts after being declared brain dead

Ellen DeGeneres posted a heartfelt message to her ex-girlfriend Anne Heche just before it was revealed that the actress has died aged 53. 

The former talk-show host’s message came just moments before it was confirmed Friday morning that Heche was declared legally dead, though her heart is being kept beating so that it can be harvested for donation.

‘This is a sad day,’ said DeGeneres, 64, who dated Heche from 1997 to 2000. ‘I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love.’

‘This is a sad day’: DeGeneres, who who dated Heche from 1997 to 2000. ‘I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love’

DeGeneres and Heche were serious enough that in 1999, they declared that if Vermont legalized same-sex marriage in a highly publicized case then before the state’s supreme court, they would tie the knot.

Heche’s team announced this Thursday that she was ‘not expected to survive’ the injuries she sustained from her fiery car crash on August 5, when she drove into a house at 90mph while under the influence of cocaine.

Selma Blair wrote a heartfelt Instagram tribute to Blair, but later deleted it, writing: ‘Since I came to Hollywood, I met so many dear people who loved anne from way back. And continue to. I was always told how much I would love her and she remained a light to admire.’

Blair continued: ‘She clearly is one of the great actresses of our time and this tragedy is haunting. She was remarkable. And perhaps very complicated but seemed to fight like hell to do the best for everyone she loved. May her memory be a blessing. Love and support to all who knew and loved @anneheche. Comfort to her boys. Love.’

Throwback to 1997: DeGeneres and Heche were serious enough that in 1999, they declared that if Vermont legalized same-sex marriage, they would tie the knot

Loving words: Celebrities ranging from Cruel Intentions actress Selma Blair to Gina Schock of The Go-Gos tweeted tributes to Heche

After Heche was declared dead this Friday, Gina Schock of The Go-Gos tweeted: ‘Not sure what’s going on in the world but 53 years young we say goodbye to @anneheche May you, your family, friends and fans find peace in this difficult time.’

Police revealed this week that their preliminary blood tests, using blood drawn while Heche was in the hospital, showed cocaine in her system.

The tests also turned up fentanyl, but because hospitals also use fentanyl for pain relief, it is currently unclear if it was in her bloodstream during the accident.

Heche sped headlong into the two-story home of Lynne Mishele, who sustained serious enough injuries that the police opened a felony investigation.

Throwback: After her team announced she was unlikely to survive, Ed Helms, her co-star in the 2011 movie Cedar Rapids (pictured), expressed his grief on Twitter

She was hospitalized and spent days in a coma before she was declared braindead, though she remains on life support for the purposes of organ donation.

After her team announced she was unlikely to survive, Ed Helms, her co-star in the 2011 movie Cedar Rapids, expressed his grief on Twitter.

‘Anne Heche news today is so heartbreaking. A truly epic, vibrant spirit and a profound talent,’ he wrote. Sending tremendous love and support to her family.’

Rosanna Arquette tweeted Thursday night: ‘I’m very upset and sad that Anne Heche is not expected to live.And yes she would have been arrested for driving under the influence and putting lives in danger .she still is a great artist and struggled with addiction it’s terribly sad for her children and for her friends.’ 

 

Real time: Rosanna Arquette tweeted Thursday: ‘I’m very upset and sad that Anne Heche is not expected to live,’ then after Heche was declared dead she wrote: ‘Rest In Peace now Anne’

Side by side: Her performance in Proof on Broadway in 2000 drew particular praise from her co-star Stephen Kunken and from Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn

Tributes poured in on social media this Friday after the actress was declared dead, including from Rosanna who tweeted simply: ‘Rest In Peace now Anne.’

Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn added his voice to the choir on Twitter: ‘Honest to God, I think maybe the best acting performance I’ve ever seen in my life was Anne Heche in PROOF on Broadway.’

Heche’s co-star in Proof, Stephen Kunken, had tweeted the previous night: ‘Some years ago I was Anne Heche’s quirky suitor in PROOF on Broadway. She was as kooky and utterly fabulous as I could have ever dreamed.’

He hailed her as ‘An immense talent I loved playing opposite & more importantly a truly decent human and friend. The news is just unendingly sad.’

The actress turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the psychological effects of her traumatic childhood, during which she was sexually abused by her secretly gay father who went on to die of AIDS.