Anne Heche‘s eldest son, Homer Laffoon, 20, is preparing for his first Christmas without his mother. Anne’s ex-husband, Coleman Laffoon, shared a slideshow of snaps of their only child decorating a Christmas tree on Instagram on Dec. 11 and captioned the carousel with a sweet note. “@homerheche has been through a lot. To have him with us, capping the tree with a star, sharing his joy & loving and being loved by his family is a moment that takes my breath away,” Coleman, 49, wrote. “I want to share that moment here. We are lucky and grateful to have Homer with us. Three cheers for Ho-ho-Homer. We love you.”
The first photo in the slideshow showed Homer standing on a stool and carefully placing a star on the top of the tree. The next photo depicted him with his arm around his stepmother, Lexi, and a blissful grin on his face. The third and final photo showed Homer bonding with his three younger half-siblings as they worked together to decorate the tree.
As fans know, Homer lost his actress mother in a fatal car accident in mid-August after she crashed her blue Mini Cooper into a home in Los Angeles. Anne was in critical condition following the accident, during which she suffered from severe burns. She slipped into a coma as she fought for her life, but was taken off life support on Sunday, Aug. 14. She left behind Homer and his younger brother Atlas, 13, who she had with ex-boyfriend, James Tupper, 57.
Two days before her official death, Homer remembered his mother. “My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom. 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 began in his emotional statement to PEOPLE on Aug. 12.
“Over those six days, thousands of friends, family, and fans made their hearts known to me,” he continued. “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.”
As Homer was grieving, he was thrown into a legal battle over Anne’s estate. Anne’s ex, James, submitted legal documents in Los Angeles with hope that he would become an “independent” administrator over the estate and argued that Homer wasn’t ready to obtain such responsibility. However, on Nov. 30, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted Homer control over the estate.
“We believe the court reached the correct result this morning, both legally and equitably, and are glad to have this phase of the process behind us,” Homer’s lawyer shared with HollywoodLife in a statement. “With Mr. Tupper’s allegations and objections now resolved, we are hopeful the administration of the Estate can proceed without unnecessary complication.”
Homer was previously appointed legal guardian over Atlas.