Anne Heche’s younger son Atlas Heche Tupper spoke out about his mother’s passing for the first time in a brief statement to the Los Angeles Inquisitor on Tuesday, January 24. The 14-year-old spoke about how much he loves his mom and how he misses her since her death at 53 in a car accident. Atlas’ father and Anne’s ex James Tupper also honored the Donnie Brasco star.
Atlas spoke about what a caring person his mother was in a short remembrance. “My mom was the brightest person I’ve ever known. She always knew how to solve a problem, or help a friend. She always knew the right thing to do. I cannot put into words how grateful I am or how much I miss her,” he told the Inquisitor.
James, 57, reflected on the good times that they each had together and said that her family would always remember her. “We have a beautiful son together and in that time, she was the very definition of light in our lives, always bringing fun, love and energy. She will always be remembered in our hearts and minds,” he said.
Anne’s older son Homer, 20, who she shared with her ex Coley Laffoon, mourned his mother’s passing in a statement shortly after her death in August to People. “After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness,” he said at the time. “Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom.”
The new tributes to Anne come the same day that her memoir Call Me Anne was published posthumously. The actress called her children’s births as well as her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres some of her proudest moments. She noted how important the relationship with Ellen was for LGBTQ+ visibility, and celebrated the moment. “There is nothing in my life I am prouder to have participated in — other than childbirth, of course!” she wrote in the book.
After his mother’s death, Homer was involved in a legal battle against his mother’s ex over control of her estate and guardianship of his younger half-brother. James filed paperwork objecting to Homer as the general administrator of the actress’s estate.