Ann Hatch is on life support after suffering a brain injury in a fiery crash a week ago and is not expected to survive, according to a statement from a representative.
The actor, who is in a coma and in critical condition, is being kept on machine for possible organ donation, according to a statement released Thursday night on behalf of her family and friends.
Heche, who is hospitalized at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital north of Los Angeles, suffered “severe anoxic brain injury,” the statement said. Such an injury is caused by a prolonged lack of oxygen to the brain.
“She is not expected to survive,” the statement said. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she has been kept on life support to determine if any are viable.”
On the morning of August 5, Heche’s car crashed into a house in a West Los Angeles neighborhood and a fire broke out with the car embedded in the house.
Earlier Thursday, police said they were investigating Heche for driving under the influence. Detectives with a search warrant took a sample of her blood and found drugs in her system, Los Angeles police spokesman Jeff Lee said.
Toxicology tests, which can take weeks to complete, must be performed to more clearly identify the drugs and distinguish them from any drugs that may have been given for treatment at the hospital.
Hatch, left, and Sandra Oh, pictured at a Toronto hotel while promoting their film Catfight during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)
Evidence from the crash is still being collected, police said, and they will present a case to prosecutors if warranted when the investigation is complete.
A representative for Heche declined to comment on the investigation.
On Tuesday, Heche spokeswoman Heather Duffy Boylston said she was in a coma after the incident with burns that required surgery and lung injuries that required the use of a ventilator to breathe.
“Courageous Honesty”
“Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit. More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy as her life’s work — especially moving the needle on accepting what you love,” Thursday’s statement said. “She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and will be greatly missed for her light.”
Hatch, 53, was among Hollywood’s most famous movie stars in the late 1990s, playing opposite actors including Johnny Depp in Donnie Brasco and Harrison Ford in Six Days, Seven Nights. In a 2001 memoir, she discussed her lifelong struggles with mental health.
She recently had recurring roles on the network television series Chicago PD and All Rise, and in 2020 was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars.
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