Anne Heche’s ex-boyfriend James Tupper eulogized the actress after she was declared brain dead at 53 on Friday, August 12. The Me & Orson Welles star posted a photo paying tribute to the Donnie Brasco star on his Instagram a week after the terrifying car accident on August 5. Following the news of her death, her ex-husband Coleman “Coley” Laffoon shared a video mourning her loss.
James, 57, who was romantically involved with Anne from 2007 to 2018, was one of the first to honor Anne with a post. The actor paid tribute to his former girlfriend with a photo of her and a simple caption, which read “love you forever.” He also included a broken heart emoji. Fans shared their condolences with James in the comments.
Coley shared the video message with fans, where he also mentioned that his son Homer was grieving the loss of his mother, but said that he was “strong” and would be “okay.” He also spoke about his love for the actress. “I loved her, and I miss her, and I’m always going to,” he said, early in the video. “She was brave and fearless and loved really hard.”
Anne’s ex-husband closed the video with a direct message for her, assuring her that he’d take care of their son. “Goodbye, Anne. Love you, thank you. Thank you for all the good times. There were so many, and see you on the other side, and in the meantime, I’ve got our son. He’ll be fine. Love you,” he said.
Following the news that the I Know What You Did Last Summer actress would not survive, another of Anne’s exes Ellen DeGeneres tweeted a short message to Anne’s loved ones. “This is a sad day. I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love,” she wrote.
Before her passing, Anne’s representatives had announced that her accident was fatal in a statement to HollywoodLife. “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,” they said. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.” Before her passing, it was announced that she was brain dead, but still kept on life support to see if any of her organs were able to be donated.
After Anne’s terrifying crash, both James and another ex Thomas Jane released statements hoping for the actress to recover. “Thoughts and prayers for this lovely woman, actress and mother tonight,” James wrote in an Instagram post. “We love you.” Thomas had similarly offered “thoughts and prayers.” Anne and James shared a son Atlas, 13. The actress had her elder son Homer, 20, with her ex-husband Coleman.
A few days after her accident, Ellen had also shared a brief response to someone asking for her thoughts on Anne. While she said that the two hadn’t spoken in a long time, she said, “I don’t want anyone to be hurt.”