Anne Heche’s ex, James Tupper, has spoken out in defense of the late actress after an upsetting rumor was spread about her online.
James Tupper’s relationship with Anne Heche had its ups and downs, but in the end, Tupper has always held Heche in high regard.
And his recent comments prove just how much he respected her.
Scroll down to find out more…
Heche, fifty-three, was taken to hospital in “a critical condition” following the devastating car crash on August 5.
According to Sky News, the actress had been “driving at speed down an LA street” before she crashed into a house.
The Los Angeles Fire Department noted that the crash “sparked a heavy fire” which left the actress with burns…
That requires “surgical intervention.”
In the video taken just after the brutal accident, the actress’ behavior was rather erratic, according to TMZ.
Apparently, Heche was “acting erratically” soon after she lost consciousness.
Sources told the media outlet that the “law enforcement were able to get a warrant.”
So that officials could determine whether the actress “was under the influence” with a sample of her blood.
And that’s not all…
According to reports, police believe Heche was indeed “under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
Heche committed “at least 2 hit-and-runs” before she drove through a home…
When her car was set ablaze and she faced “significant injuries.”
A representative for the actress told TMZ at the time, that Heche was “fighting for her life” in hospital…
As well as being in a critical condition with “pulmonary injuries” in which she required “mechanical ventilation.”
“Shortly after the accident, Anne Heche became unconscious, slipping into a coma, and is in critical condition. She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention,” concluded the rep.
Heche was in a week-long coma, after suffering significant injuries.
The rep told PEOPLE that “she is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident.”
Since the incident, investigators have called the case a “felony.”
According to the Daily Mail, Heche was “having a bad day” in the run-up to the accident…
In Friday’s episode of Heche’s Better Together podcast, she appears to “slur her words” as she and co-host Heather Duffy tell the “audience they are drinking vodka with wine chasers.”
As “a vodka distillery which sponsored one of their shows gave them free alcohol.”
However, it is not clear whether the podcast was filmed on the Friday of the accident.
“Dr. Rahm said that we should be drinking vodka instead of wine,” Duffy said, while Heche added that “we listened and we are drinking it.”
And it’s the next revelation that’s got fans talking after the actress revealed she was having a “bad day.”
“I don’t know what happened, sometimes days just suck and I don’t know if you ever have them [but] some days, those no good, very bad days, and some days, days just end up like this.
“Sometimes days just suck and I don’t know if you ever have them, but you know some days, Mama says just gonna be like this. Some days there are those no good, very bad days,” said Heche.
“And I don’t know why some days just end up like this, and things don’t really rock me like that,” continued the actress.
Heche later revealed how she has “had a tough week,” and explained, “how people interrupted her meditating at her apartment.”
So does that mean Heche was indeed having a bad day on Friday? Well, we don’t for sure…
Before the accident, the actress was seen “speeding down an alleyway and narrowly missing the pedestrian as she walked along the sidewalk in the Mar Vista area of the city.”
The newly released footage shows a woman who has not been identified, looking astonished as the Heche’s Mini Clubman raced past just before 11 am on Friday.
TMZ reports that Heche “may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
When she plowed into the home of Lynne Mishele.
The actress was reportedly in “legal trouble,” after the LAPD took over to investigate.
According to TMZ, the police were “treating the incident as a potential felony investigation because the woman inside the home, Lynne Mishele, suffered.”
Lynne Bernstein, a neighbor of Mishele, told PEOPLE the tenant was “extremely fortunate to have survived the accident.”
She further added, “that she was in shock before she even noticed the vehicle as she saw him and two other neighbors inside her house trying to help everyone get out safely.”
According to Bernstein, the vehicle drove all the way into the house.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said that the damage was severe and caused heavy fire to the one-story home.
The Fire Department even red-tagged the house, which means the building is not safe for occupancy in its current state.
Though she managed to survive the wreckage, Mishele has lost a lifetime of possession and equipment for her online business. Many have donated to her GoFundMe page here.
Heche’s family later revealed she was declared brain dead.
Announcing that she would be taken off life support.
It has been shared that Heche suffered “severe anoxic brain injury” due to the crash according to a statement made by her family.
This means her brain was starved of oxygen for a significant amount of time.
A rep for her family said:
“We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne’s recovery and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses that cared for Anne at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital.”
“Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition. She is not expected to survive.”
The statement continued: “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 for acceptance of who you love.
“She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.”
Authorities are still gathering evidence from the crash…
And were expected to present a case to prosecutors once the investigation is complete.
However, the actress has now passed away, family and friends confirmed.
A rep for Heche’s family told TMZ: “We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend.
The statement continued: “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.”
The news has come as a huge shock to all those who know and love her.
Particularly her 2 sons, who have had to deal with a great deal of tragedy over the last week.
Shortly after the news of her death was announced, Heche’s son, twenty-year-old Homer Laffoon, shared a tribute for his mom.
“My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom,” he began. “After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness.
“Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom.”
He then went on the thank all those who have shared their thoughts and well wishes to him and their family.
“Over those six days, thousands of friends, family, and fans made their hearts known to me,” he said.
“I am grateful for their love, as I am for the support of my Dad, Coley, and my stepmom Alexi who continue to be my rock during this time.
“Rest In Peace Mom, I love you,” he added.
After it was disclosed the actress was not expected to survive, Heche’s rep revealed even more details about Heche’s condition, including her final wish.
The rep explained that the Donnie Brasco actress chose to be an organ donor long ago and, according to reports, would remain alive until the check is done.
“It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable,” the statement read.
It was announced that she would stay on a ventilator so that doctors could check her organs to see if they are able to be donated before they turn off the life support.
And it seems she was granted her last wish.
A spokesperson confirmed on Sunday that several matches were made for “multiple organs” to be donated.
Over the weekend, Heche was legally pronounced dead, under California law, after doctors had found her to be brain dead.
Though after her death, she remained on a life support machine to preserve her organs just in case they could be donated.
A spokesperson for Heche released a statement that once it was confirmed that someone was found, the late actress had “peacefully been taken off life support.”
Heche’s ex-husband, Coleman Laffoon, posted an emotional tribute to the late actress on Saturday on social media…
In the video, it said: “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 further added: ‘He’s grieving, of course, and it’s rough, it’s really rough s probably anybody can imagine. But he’s surrounded by family, and he’s going to be ok.’
And now, Heche’s ex, James Tupper has spoken out in defense of the star following a rumor that was spread about her.
The pair first met on the set of Men In Trees, and hit it off straight away.
They both had partners at the time and called their instant connection “unexpected.”
Speaking to Access in 2007, Heche said: “Out of our understanding that we want to live life the same way, have the same point of view on life, we just were lucky enough to fall in love.”
Before working with Heche, Tupper admitted: “I’d heard a lot of things about Anne like everybody else and I came up here keeping my mind open,”
Despite never getting married, Tupper shared with Cupid’s Pulse in 2015: “One of the really fun things we do is every year I ask Anne to marry me.”
However, in 2018, they called it quits. And things began to get heated between the pair during their custody battle over their son.
But it seems that Tupper still holds her in high regard because he recently defended Heche after her tragic death, replying to co-star, Emily Bergl’s Instagram tribute to the actress.
Bergl, who worked alongside Tupper and Heche in Men In Trees, admitted that she was often asked about “crazy Anne Heche” in interviews, but dismissed the comments, saying: “Anne was not only a genius but one of the most astoundingly focused and prepared actors I’ve ever worked with.”
And Tupper clearly appreciated her kind words, as he responded to her post…
“Oh god thank you for writing this. Is all completely accurate and true. love you e.”
You can read her full post here.