Donald Joe Heche Predeceased His Daughter Anne Heche – He Died of AIDS

Donald Joe Heche died after several years of sexually abusing his youngest daughter, the late actress Anne Heche. Including the actress, he raised five children with her mother, Nancy Heche.

Donald Joe Heche constitutes a rather painful part of Anne Heche's past. The late Hollywood star wrote about her father in her 2001 memoir, "Call Me Crazy," revealing disturbing details about his role in her upbringing.

They were a poverty-stricken family, frequently moving from home to home. But beyond humble beginnings, Anne spoke at length about the continuous sexual abuse she suffered at her father's hands.

Donald Joe Heche Was a Medical Student

Donald drew his first breath in Wells County, Indiana, on March 20, 1937. He was one of two siblings born to Clara Louise and Charles Hobart Heche (who was a grocer). There's not much information about Donald's background, but Anne revealed that he was studying medicine.

He dropped out of med school when his wife was pregnant with their first child, Susan Claire Heche Bergman. It's unknown when the pair married, but they had more kids together. After Susan, they welcomed Cynthia, who sadly died at two months old, Nathan, Abigail, and Anne.

While the family struggled financially, Donald kept trying his luck in entrepreneurship, but his endeavors never succeeded. When he wasn't doing business, he served as a Baptist minister and church organist.

Still, making ends meet was a mission, and eventually, his wife gave him an ultimatum: either he found a job or moved out. Although Donald promised to find work, only the latter half of the ultimatum came to pass.

Anne Heche on Her Father, Donald Joe Heche, Abusing Her

Donald's youngest daughter, Anne, revealed in her memoir that he sexually abused her from when she was a toddler. She shared that part of what helped her cope was having an alter ego called Celestia.

"I had a fantasy world that I escaped to. I called my other personality Celestia. I believed I was from that world. I believed I was from another planet. I think I was insane," she said in 2001 upon the release of her biography.

At 12 years old, working at a dinner theater, she found another haven: acting. It's where she received her first professional role in "The Music Man." The late star said she found "heaven on that stage."

"I'd been given an opportunity to experience a life and a joy that was not in my family," she added. However, this joy was overshadowed as Anne later learned her father was dying of AIDS; she feared she'd contracted it, too.

Anne Heche Questioned If Her Mother Knew about the Abuse

Although there were physical signs, as Anne described, "I had a rash, I had sores, I had welts on my nose and on my lips," the actress never knew if her mother was aware that her father was molesting her.

When she summoned the courage to confront her on a call, Nancy said, "Jesus loves you, Anne," and hung up. They were estranged from then onward. Donald passed away in 1983, shortly after his family discovered he was secretly gay.

His son followed later that year after a fatal car accident, and his daughter, Susan, died of brain cancer in 2006. After Susan, only two of his kids, Abigail and Anne, remained, but they, too, became estranged.

Donald's daughters reconnected in the early 2010s and worked on rebuilding their relationship. Sadly, his youngest also died following a car accident in 2022. She was survived by her two sons, Homer Laffoon (born in her marriage with Coleman Laffoon) and Atlas Tupper (from her romance with James Tupper).