The homeowner whose house was destroyed in the fiery car crash that killed Anne Heche is speaking out following news that the actress has died after being taken off of life support.
Lynne Mishele was in the backyard of her home in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles when Heche lost control of her car and slammed into the residence on August 5. The actress suffered an anoxic brain injury and was declared brain-dead a week later.
“The news of Anne Heche passing is devastating. Her family and her friends and her children, especially, really have suffered a great loss, and my heart goes out for them,” Mishele said Friday in a video shared to her business Instagram account. “This entire situation is just tragic and there really are just no words. I’m sending love to everyone involved.”
While Mishele herself suffered only “minor injuries” while rescuing her pets from the inferno, her house was completely destroyed.
“I could see a big hole in the house,” a neighbor told Todayrecalling how Heche’s Mini Cooper had “screamed” down the residential street that Friday morning. “You could tell the car had crashed through the floor. I mean, it was all the way through the front room and into the back, by the back wall of house.”
A GoFundMe was launched on behalf of Mishele and her family, raising over $170,000 to replace the “entire lifetime of possessions and mementos” that were lost to the blaze.
Mishele shared another video to thank donors for their love, compassion, and generosity during an “insane and traumatic time.”
“…Eventually I will try to get back to everybody and read everybody’s comments, but thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Mishele shared in the Instagram post. “It’s really truly overwhelming. You guys have really impacted my life in a very profound way, so thank you so much to everybody and I will keep you updated.”
Heche’s family also released a statement following news that the actress would be taken off life support and her organs donatedwriting: “We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend. 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.”
