Anne Heche's son Homer promotes her posthumous memoir, 'Call Me Anne,' as she 'would have wanted'
Anne Heche's son Homer Laffoon is speaking out ahead of the posthumous release of her memoir.
Homer, who was named the general administrator of her estate after a court battle with her ex James Tupper, used his mother's Instagram to share a message to her fans about Call Me Anne, which will be published Jan. 24.
"Homer here," the 20-year-old began. "Never imagined I'd find myself responsible for mom's IG account, but here we are."
He first thanked fans for "the amount of love, care and support" they've shown since Heche died after a fiery car crash in Los Angeles in August. He said it's "been overwhelming and blessedly received. One day at a time is working for me as I'm sure the healing journey will be a long one. Your good thoughts and well wishes will continue to comfort me on my path."
Homer, the son of Heche and her ex-husband Coley Laffoon, went on to say he has a responsibility to share with his mom's community that the manuscript for her second book was completed at the time of her death and it will be published in just over two weeks. There will be a special launch event at Barnes & Noble at the Grove in L.A., with Heche's podcast co-host Heather Duffy, the day the book goes on sale.
"The book is the product of mom's further efforts to share her story and to help others where she could," he wrote. "Call Me Anne is the result and I know she was excited to share with the world. So, mom, here I am sharing it with the community you created, may it flourish and take on a life of it's own, as you would have wanted."
Homer said he doesn't plan on using Heche's Instagram "too often" in the future, "but know she loved her fans, loved writing (she wrote endlessly) and it would not feel right not to reach out at a time like this."
He signed off his post like his mother used to, writing, "Peace and love, Homer."
Call Me Anne is a sequel to Heche's 2001 memoir, Call Me Crazy, and is about her rise to fame — with personal anecdotes about her Six Days, Seven Nights co-star Harrison Ford becoming her mentor, plus her headline-making romance with Ellen DeGeneres and encounter with Harvey Weinstein — as well as about the sexual abuse she endured as a child. It's described as "part memoir and part self-acceptance workbook," with the stories "interwoven with poems, prompts, and exercises that got Anne through tough times."
Homer fought his mom's ex and Men in Trees star Tupper for legal control of her estate after Heche died without a will in August.
He was granted permission by the court to "take possession of all the personal property of the estate of the decedent and preserve it from damage, waste, and injury." He was also granted the power to protect the interests of Heche in "the publication agreement" of her book. He'll also be responsible for defending lawsuits and other legal proceedings against Heche, including the one filed by the woman whose home was destroyed in the car crash that killed the Emmy winner.
Tupper, who shared 13-year-old son Atlas with Heche, objected to Homer overseeing the estate. He claimed Heche asked him to be the executer more than a decade earlier and prior to their 2018 breakup. In court, Tupper claimed Homer was not capable of managing his late mother's affairs, listing a variety of reasons. He also claimed Homer was acting "in a hostile manner" toward his half-brother Atlas and refusing "to communicate with him or his representatives at all." However, Homer prevailed in November.
Heche died after being involved in a car crash on Aug. 5, when her Mini Cooper slammed into a house and caught on fire, leaving her trapped in the vehicle for 30 minutes. Heche was comatose for days before the state of California declared that she was legally dead on Aug. 12. On Aug. 14, she was taken off life support. She died primarily from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, according to the medical examiner.
Despite initial reports, Heche wasn't drunk or high when she crashed her car. A toxicology report based on blood and urine samples showed evidence that she had previously used cocaine and cannabis, but not at the time of the accident. The fentanyl found in Heche’s urine was administered by the hospital for pain purposes.