Anne Heche was smiling in a photo just 21 minutes before she was left seriously injured and fighting for her life after a horror crash.
The actress has been declared brain dead and is only remaining on life support until it can be established if her organs are viable to be donated, as revealed when Anne's family issued a heartbreaking update on Thursday.
A total of 59 firefighters rushed to the scene of the crash after the Mini Cooper Anne, 53, was driving went up in flames.
She had struck a two-storey building in Los Angeles just before the smash, as reports the Mirror.
Now it's being reported that in the hour leading up to the crash, Anne paid a visit to hair salon Glass Hair.
The owner of the store took to Instagram at 10.35am on August 5 to share a snap of the pair after she bought a $125 wig, describing Anne as "lovely".
He wrote: "So I met @anneheche today and she purchased a #redwig so random.. I love #venicebeach #actress #director #mom #celebrity #lifestyle".
Just an hour after posting the photo, he said he was inundated with messages as it emerged Anne was in a critical condition and being rushed to hospital after the crash at 10.56am.
It comes as the Los Angeles Police Department said preliminary blood tests have revealed the presence of drugs in Anne’s system when her Mini Cooper struck the two-storey home on August 5. Anne is in a coma after suffering a severe anoxic brain injury, which is caused by a sustained lack of oxygen to the brain.
LAPD spokesman Matthew Cruz confirmed the crash is being investigated as a felony driving-under-the-influence (DUI) traffic collision. Police are doing additional testing to rule out any substances that were administered in hospital, which could have been prescribed as pain medication after the accident.
The LAPD said: “This case is still an active and ongoing investigation and is currently in the process of gathering additional evidence; to include final toxicology results, and medical records from both parties involved.
“It is the intent of the investigating Detectives to present this case to the appropriate prosecuting office: the Los Angeles County District Attorney or the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office once all pertinent evidence has been gathered.”
Speaking to the New York Post, salon owner Glass said: "I didn’t expect - or suspect - anything at all. She was polite, cordial and engaging and she was coherent. It was extremely pleasant - she was a delight.
"She came through the rear entrance of my studio while I was working on a client and said that she wanted a red wig.
"She asked, 'Haven’t we worked together before?' and told me I was beautiful. The whole encounter was less than 10 minutes."
Days before she got behind the wheel, Anne spoke of the tough time she was going through.
The actress said she felt like some days just "suck" in her now-deleted Better Together podcast, which was released the day of her horror car crash.
In the pre-recorded episode, Anne spoke openly about how she was struggling on the day of filming as she told co-host Heather Duffy she was having a 'very bad' time and joked about drinking vodka with wine chasers.
The star said in the podcast: "We each have a bottle in front of us because our friends sent us a bottle of Refined and I think we even did a bad commercial for them in the beginning of our days."
To which Heather replied: "Dr. Rahm said that we should be drinking vodka instead of wine", with Anne chipping in: "and we listened, and we are drinking it."
Anne's representative insisted to TMZ the podcast was recorded days before the crash and no alcohol was found in blood samples taken by police.
Opening up on her personal struggles, Anne shared on the podcast: "Today's been a very unique day.
"I don't know what happened, sometimes days just suck and I don't know if you ever have them [but] some days, those no good, very bad days, and some days days just end up like this."
Anne, who previously dated Ellen DeGeneres, said she was upset after her meditation session in her apartment was interrupted.
"Sometimes days just suck and I don't know if you ever have them, but you know some days, Mama says just gonna be like this," she continued.
"Some days there's those no good, very bad days. And I don't know why some days just end up like this, and things don't really rock me like that."
Anne’s family released a statement on Thursday, revealing the actress has suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and isn’t expected to survive.
They said in the statement: “Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition. She is not expected to survive.”
The incident occurred a week ago on the morning of August 5 in the Mar Vista neighbourhood of Los Angeles, according to Mirror Online. It is reported she crashed her car twice – first into an apartment complex and then a second time into another home.
It’s reported the second crash ignited a fire and caused “significant damage”. Footage and images from the scene showed Anne being taken away in an ambulance and a witness told TMZ at the time: “She was driving a blue Mini Cooper and crashed into the garage of an apartment complex.”
They added: “Residents of the apartment complex tried getting Anne out of the vehicle but she put the car in reverse and then sped off. A short time later, she crashed into a nearby home, igniting a fire. The fire was significant and engulfed the house.”
Anne is the former partner of US talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and dated the star between 1997 and 2000. The TV star revealed this week the pair are no longer in touch, but she sent her well wishes.
When asked in a video shared by the Daily Mail if she wanted to send her ex any well wishes, Ellen responded: “Sure, I don’t want anyone to be hurt.” Anne is also known for her roles in hit films such as Donnie Brasco, Cedar Rapids and the 1998 Psycho remake.
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