Anne Heche died on August 12, 2022 at age 53. Talented, beautiful and successful, she nevertheless suffered from mental illness. The next to last thing she did in her life was not only self-destructive but caused irreparable loss to another individual. The very last thing she did in her life was to donate her surviving organs, the ultimate act of kindness. I liked her movies. Last night, I watched her in the remake of Psycho (1998) and was struck by her vulnerability and smartness. I suspect she was a flawed, complicated person with good and bad characteristics. It was intensely sad this week to witness someone as beautiful as Anne Heche die so young. I wish she could have found peace in her life. I’m going to watch a few more of her movies this weekend, maybe Donnie Brasco (1997) or Wag the Dog (1997). I hope the woman whose house she crashed into recovers. I also hope Anne Heche’s death reminds us all of how scary mental illness can be.
