Anne Heche's Podcast Co-host Says 'She Was Way Ahead Of Us' In Touching Tribute

Anne Heche's podcast co-host and friend Heather Duffy has shared her deepest feelings about the actress' death.

The late actress passed away earlier this week after she was "peacefully taken off life support" by her family following the tragic car accident that caused her blue Mini Cooper to burst into flames. The incident left Heche with severe burns and other fatal injuries that put her in a coma for some days.

In a touching tribute that Heather Duffy shared with her fans on Instagram, the "Better Together Anne and Heather" podcast host revealed that she had to "take a moment to begin to process the profound loss of my beautiful friend with the kindest soul I've known."

She then praised the late "Donnie Brasco" star for being "truthful despite being in a business that is make-believe." Heche had also been known for spreading "love and kindness," even though she did not always receive that love back. For Duffy, Heche exhibited "bravery" and "sacrifice" when she came out as bisexual in the late '90s — a time when such things were frowned upon and alien. In the "Lyle" star's words:

"We have come a long way because of her truth, bravery, and kindness in that moment 25 years ago when she chose to bring a woman as her date to the premiere of 'Volcano.'"

The podcaster added that she wished the media could have seen how "harshly they judged" the mother-of-two whenever she stood up for a cause she believed in during her years on earth.

In fact, Duffy claimed that the "Spread" actress was "way ahead of us, and we are all just catching up." She then asked Heche to "Fly free" as the world was not made for somebody "as beautiful as you." The lengthy statement was accompanied by an image of Heche and Duffy smiling at the camera as they backed each other.

Fans and loved ones have been sending in their tributes since The Blast reported that The Los Angeles County Coroner's office ruled that the actress died from "inhalation and thermal injuries" and a "sternal fracture due to blunt force trauma." Not many people were shocked by the ruling since Heche was taken to a hospital after crashing her cooper into a Los Angeles home, resulting in a massive fire.

Witnesses observed that the "Six Days, Seven Nights" actress was still conscious and flailing her arms as first responders wheeled her into an ambulance at the scene. Unfortunately, a rep for the actress disclosed that she never regained consciousness after arriving at the hospital. It was later revealed that Heche had suffered major lung injuries during the crash. 

As for the crash, footage showed the 53-year-old driving her Mini Cooper at an extremely high speed through a residential neighborhood before she crashed into the house.

In an update published by The Blast, it was divulged that Heche mentioned drinking vodka and wine after a "rocky" day during an episode of her podcast. According to her, her meditation had been interrupted by people who stayed at her apartment building.

To help her through the day, the actress claimed that she had been drinking heavily during the show. Heche even joked that podcast followers would have to hope that she and Duffy would finish the recording.

Although she refused to reveal what else was troubling her, the actress claimed she had been suffering through some terrible days. As it turned out, Heche did not stop drinking as a red-capped bottle was seen in her car's cupholder next to the gearshift.

Given what many know about the actress, it was assumed that the bottle contained alcohol — making the crash unavoidable. The severity of the "Another World" star's accident caused the Los Angeles Fire Department to make a second report of the same incident. The report, which showed how extensive the fire was in the home, read:

"Solo passenger vehicle struck and came to rest well within a 738 square foot two-story home (built 1952), causing structural compromise and erupting in heavy fire prior to LAFD arrival."

The report added that it took nearly 60 firefighters a little over an hour to "access, confine, and fully extinguish" the fire within the damaged home and rescue the female adult found in the vehicle.