- Anne Heche’s parents and siblings have been estranged from the iconic actress for many years
- The cold relationships stem from the childhood trauma she suffered from her father, Donald Joseph Bergman, and her mother, Nancy Heche’s denial of the ordeal
- As it is, Anne has only one surviving sibling and an estranged mother
Anne Heche’s parents and siblings have not always shared the same life ideas with the Another Life actress. Her parents, Donald Joseph Heche and Nancy Heche allegedly caused some of the trauma she suffered as a child. Despite this, the actress rose above the challenges of her troubled childhood to make something of herself.
While she was later declared dead on August 12 following a ghastly accident that left her severely burned on August 5, 2022, the Heche family is once more in the eye of the media.
Her Parents Had Deep Secrets
The Heche household had its share of secrets that Anne later exposed in her adult life. These secrets could have been taken to the grave yet, Anne’s trauma could only be healed with the truth.
Donald Joseph Heche allegedly raped his daughter
The Heche family patriarch was a choir director but didn’t make much from the work. As a result, he switched jobs to provide for the family. He may have worked in oil and gas at some point but this was never verified.
The Heche family had to live under strained finances forcing Anne and her other siblings to take up jobs to support the family.
Donald Heche moved his family eleven times during Anne’s adolescent years. Beyond his outward look, he had a darker side that was revealed by Anne years after his death.
Reportedly, her father is alleged to have raped her from infancy till she was twelve years old. Also, Anne said her mother was aware of the abuse as she refused to take her to the doctor after he infected her with genital herpes.
Also, Joe was a closeted gay man and through that lifestyle, he contracted HIV. He died from AIDS in 1983 at the age of 45 while Anne was only 13.
Nancy Pricket Heche and Anne Heche are not on speaking terms
Born on March 10, 1937, the 87-year-old grew up in Indiana. She and her 55-year-old daughter are not on speaking terms following the events in their lives. In fact, Nancy has never met Anne’s two children, Homer and Atlas.
In the past, Nancy, a deeply religious woman, and devoted wife allegedly didn’t support her daughter, Anne. Ever since her fall out with her daughter and the loss of her husband, she moved on to become an activist and motivational speaker.
After Anne started dating popular comedian, Ellen Degeneres in 1997, Nancy felt it was a slap to their faith. Moreso, she believes that gay people can be changed and this has become her life’s mission as can be seen in her campaigns and talks.
Nancy launched a career as a writer in 2006 with her book The Truth Comes Out. She has contributed to many books and appeared on many shows.
Let’s Meet Anne Heche’s Four Siblings
Susan Bergman died of brain cancer
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She was born in 1957 and is the oldest of the Heche children. Having received her bachelor’s degree in 1979 from Wheaton College, she continued her academic pursuit of obtaining a doctorate degree.
The writer and professor of literature taught at three Universities namely Northwestern, New York University, and the University of Notre Dame. She contributed her experiences to many academic works and publications one of which is her tell-all book Anonymity(1994). The book delved into her father’s secret life as a homosexual.
While writing her doctoral dissertation which later became the book Anonymity, she delved deep into a re-examination of members of her family.
Anne Heche’s sister battled brain cancer for three years. Sadly, she and Anne were still estranged at the time she passed away in 2006 at the age of 46. At her death, she was married to Judson Bergman and had three children, Elliot Bergman, Elise, and Natalie Bergman.
While Elise is an apparel designer, Elliot and Natalie are into music. Elliot is an artist and musician known for pottery and compositions on Pitch Perfect. He also sings in bands called Wild Belle and NOMO. Natalie sang in her brother’s band NOMO before setting out on her own.
Cynthia Heche
Perhaps the least known among Anne Heche’s siblings, she died in infancy. Following her death, the Heche infant had a heart defect that cut short her life at a tender age.
Abigail Heche is the only surviving sibling of the actress
She is the only surviving sibling of the actress. Abigail is a jewelry and apparel designer based in Michigan. Though she keeps a low-key life compared to her famous sister, Abigail defended their mother’s denial of having any knowledge of Anne’s ordeals with Joe.
As a sister, Abigail also did not agree that their mother was aware of Anne’s ordeal. She also made it clear that Anne had doubts about memories of the sexual abuse.
Drawing on this, Anne and Abigail had a cold relationship that lasted for twenty years. Though she once said they are beginning to build their relationship, this remains a private matter.
Nathan Heche allegedly committed suicide
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He was born four years after Cynthia Heche. Nathan was five years older than Anne and the second Heche child to pass on. Nathan lived with the pain of his father’s death for three months before he also died.
There are two sides to the real cause of his death. On the one hand, it was reported that Nate fell asleep on the wheels and crashed into a tree. Hence the official records report his death as an accident.
Yet, the second reason is the one that says it was suicide. Anne subscribed to the second because he is said to have suffered from their father’s erratic behavior and abuse. In fact, it is said that when their father died three months earlier, the trauma could have led to his own suicide.
