Alec Baldwin has paid tribute to his late friend, Anne Heche, after the actor was pronounced legally dead.
On Friday (August 12), a representative for the 53-year-old Psycho star announced that Heche has been declared "legally dead" following the injuries she sustained in a car crash in Los Angeles last week.
Per BBC News, the authorities confirmed that Heche had crashed her car into a home in the Mar Vista neighborhood in Los Angeles last Friday. The collision resulted in a "heavy fire" erupting with 59 firefighters battling for over an hour to extinguish the blaze. The property and Heche's vehicle were devastated in the blaze.
Heche's representative added that the actor "is being kept on life support" in order to determine if any of the star's organs are viable for donation.
The I Know What You Did Last Summer star's family shared a statement of their own, saying: "Today we lost a bright light, a kind, and most joyful soul."
"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."
Following the news of the star's death, Alec Baldwin - who starred alongside Heche in the broadway production of Twentieth Century - has taken to Instagram to share a video paying tribute to his friend.
"I wanted to take a moment to say how sad I am about Anne Heche," Baldwin said. "She was a pal, and we had one of my most fun adventures together."
"Anne was one of those people who - as we are all limited by her physical attributes - she had few of those limitations, she really could do anything," Baldwin said of Heche's talents.
Speaking about his time working with Heche on Twentieth Century, Baldwin said: "We had so much fun - that show's a funny show."
In a previous Instagram video following Heche's crash, Baldwin said of his "old pal": "There's not a lot of women I worked with who were brave in the way that Anne is brave... She was very original and very brave."
"Anne was fantastic. She was so funny. I mean, she's an amazingly talented woman," he added.
Addressing the criticism that he faced after asking people to spare a thought for Heche while he was in hospital, Baldwin said: "The internet, of course, is filled with people telling you things that don't need to be said."
Baldwin acknowledged that Heche "could have tragically taken anyone with her" - but stressed that it "doesn't lessen the fact" that the actor has lost her life.
"All I know is this woman who was my friend [...] she is gone. And avoidably so," Baldwin said.
Adding that he now has many friends contacting them asking for help in guiding their loved ones to sobriety, Baldwin said that the best thing a person can do is to "support them".
He concluded his video by saying: "I love you, Anne. I love you. You're a very special comet shooting across the sky. And I do think about you now. So avoidable. So avoidable."
In 2004, Heche would earn a Tony Award nomination for 'Best Actress in a Play' for her role as Lily Garland in the show.
Our thoughts continue to go out to Heche's family, friends, and fans at this time.
