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Anne Heche’s son mourns mother after shock crash death

Anne Heche’s son has paid tribute to his mother saying the family had lost “a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend.”

In a statement Heche’s son, Homer Laffoon, 20, wrote: “My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom. After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness.

“Hopefully my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom.”

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Last Friday, Heche was in a car that was traveling at a high speed when it ran off the road and collided with a residence that became engulfed in flames, Los Angeles Police Public Information Officer Jeff Lee told CNN at the time.

One week after the crash, Heche is “brain dead” but remains on life support, according to a statement from her family and friends and shared with CNN by their representative.

Under California law, due to her condition, Heche is considered legally dead.

Heche has not been taken off life support so they have time to determine if she is a match for organ donation, according to the representative.

Actor Anne Heche remains on life support in LA as she undergoes evaluation for organ donation. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AP

“We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,” the earlier statement from the family said.

“Anne will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work, and her passionate advocacy.

“Her bravery for always standing in her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact.”

Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury, which deprives the brain of oxygen, as a result of the crash, according to the family’s representative.

A woman inside the home at the time of the crash suffered minor injuries and sought medical attention, according to Lee.

In their message on Thursday, Heche’s family and friends thanked her care team at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital and paid tribute to Heche’s “huge heart” and “generous spirit.”

Anne Heche’s car after the ‘horrific’ crash. Credit: NBC Los Angeles

“More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy as her life’s work — especially moving the needle for acceptance of who you love,” the statement read.

She rose to fame on the soap opera “Another World,” where she played the dual role of twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love from 1987 to 1991.

She earned a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance on the show.

He followed that success with numerous films, including “Donnie Brasco,” “Wag the Dog” and “Six Days Seven Nights” opposite Harrison Ford.

In more recent years, Heche has appeared in television shows like “The Brave,” “Quantico,” and “Chicago PD”

Following the crash, there was an outpouring of support for the actress from the Hollywood community.

Her ex and former “Men in Trees” co-star James Tupper, with whom she shares one of her two sons, wrote on Instagram: “Thoughts and prayers for this lovely woman, actress and mother tonight Anne Heche. We love you.”

Ryan Tillotson, the producer of Heche’s podcast “Better Together,” said in a statement she was “irreplaceable” and will be remembered for “her big heart, her commitment to the people she loved, and the fearless way she fought for what she believed in.”

“More than a beloved host, Anne was my friend, collaborator, and a damn good actress. Anne added life to every room she entered with her tremendous energy and welcoming presence,” Tillotson said.

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Entertainment

‘Lost a bright light’: Anne Heche declared ‘legally dead’ after car crash

Actor Anne Heche is brain dead, her spokesperson said Friday, a week after she crashed her car into a home in Los Angeles.

“While Anne is legally dead according to California law, her heart is still beating, and she has not been taken off life support so that One Legacy can see if she is a match for organ donation,” Heche’s spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News.

“We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend,” a statement on behalf of Heche’s family and friends said Friday.

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“Anne will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work, and her passionate advocacy. Her bravery of her for always standing in her truth of her, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact.

On Monday, Heche, 53, was in a coma and in “extreme” condition after suffering an anoxic brain injury, her representative said.

Anne Heche has been declared legally dead after the crash. Credit: AP

Anoxic injuries occur when the brain is cut off from oxygen, causing cell death. Heche was in the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital.

He careened into a home in the Mar Vista community of Los Angeles last Friday. The home sustained damage from the “heavy fire” sparked by the collision, said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Footage of smoke rising from the house after Anne Heche’s car crashed into it. Credit: NBC Los Angeles

She had drugs in her system, and she was being investigated for possibly driving under the influence, police said Thursday.

“In preliminary testing, the blood draw revealed the presence of drugs,” Los Angeles police said in a statement.

Police could not “comment right now on the presence of cocaine, fentanyl or alcohol at this time,” they said Thursday. “That will be determined by the second test.”

“The case is being investigated as a felony DUI traffic collision,” the statement said.

Anne Heche’s car after the ‘horrific’ crash. Credit: NBC Los Angeles

She landed her first notable role on the soap opera “Another World,” portraying Vicky Hudson and Marley Love into the early 1990s.

Later that decade, films such as Donnie Brasco, Volcano and I Know What You Did Last Summer helped propel her fame inside Hollywood and beyond.

Her television credits included Chicago PD and Men in Trees.

She met talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in 1997, when Vince Vaughn, her co-star in Return to Paradise, introduced them at a Los Angeles-area restaurant.

Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche in 1997. Credit: Brian K Diggs/AP

Heche and DeGeneres became romantically involved in a relationship that Heche said was groundbreaking for the time because of the global attention they received as Hollywood stars in a same-sex romance.

“My story is a story that created change in the world, moved the needle for equal rights forward, when I fell in love with Ellen DeGeneres,” she said in a taped segment that year for the show Dancing With the Stars.

Actress Anne Heche is legally dead after a traffic accident in Los Angeles. Credit: AP

When their three-year relationship ended in 2000, Heche was hospitalized after she was found wandering in a rural area of ​​Fresno County, California, acting disoriented and confused, authorities said.

He described her struggles with her mental health in her 2001 memoir, Call Me Crazy.

“I wanted to beat everybody else to the punch,” she said about the book in an interview that year with Larry King. “I certainly know what’s been written about me in the press. I, although I was never diagnosed as being crazy, I went crazy.”

Heche also wrote about her relationship with DeGeneres. She said it was groundbreaking as a high-profile, same-sex romance but that it cost her career dearly.

Heche said she could not get hired for a role by a major studio for nearly a decade.

Later, she married Coley Laffoon, and the couple had a son before they divorced. She had another son in 2009 with actor James Tupper, her co-star in Men in Trees; they separated.

In a family statement earlier in the week, Heche was described as having a “huge heart” and as someone who “touched everyone she met with her generous spirit.”

“More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy as her life’s work ⁠— especially moving the needle for acceptance of who you love,” the statement said. “She will be remembered for her courageous honesty from her and dearly missed for her light from her.”

– With Tim Stelloh and Dennis Romero NBC

Watch: Vanessa Amorosi learns about the death of Olivia Newton-John

Watch: Vanessa Amorosi learns about the death of Olivia Newton-John

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Entertainment

Sunrise interview halted live on air after Vanessa Amorosi learns of Olivia Newton-John death

Australian singer Vanessa Amorosi has broken down while speaking to Natalie Barr and David Koch about the death of beloved entertainer Olivia Newton-John.

Amorosi was in Birmingham, having just performed for an international audience at the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony when she learned of the devastating news.

Watch: The moment Vanessa Amorosi’s interview is halted

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“I just literally had one of the highest endorphins that just happened out there, to being extremely sad by coming offstage and checking my phone,” Amorosi said on Sunrise.

Vanessa Amorosi performs at the Birmingham 2022 Closing Ceremony, just before learning of Olivia Newton-John’s death. Credit: DARREN ENGLAND/AAP
Amorosi said she went from the high of performing to an international audience to the low of learning of Newton-John’s passing. Credit: Alastair Grant/AP

The singer was part of the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony alongside Newton-John and Tina Arena.

Olivia Newton-John, Vanessa Amorosi and Tina Arena share a joke at a press conference to announce the performers at the opening ceremony for Sydney 2000 in Melbourne. Credit: Darrin Braybrook/Getty Images/Files

“Both of these women are women I’ve looked up to since (I) was a kid.”

“I’m actually very sad about Olivia, to be honest.”

Vanessa Amorosi speaks to Natalie Barr and David Koch on Sunrise. Credit: Sunrise

Seeing that Amorosi was unable to continue with the interview, hosts Barr and Koch ended the interview by saying they felt for the singer.

Watch: Olivia Newtown John’s final interview

Watch: Olivia Newtown John’s final interview

Sydney 2000

Amorosi was still new on the music scene when the then 19-year-old was selected to perform the song Heroes Live Forever at the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Vanessa Amorosi performs at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Credit: DAVE HUNT/AAP

Newton-John also performed at the event, singing Dare To Dream with her friend John Farnham before an estimated worldwide audience of 3.7 billion people.

John Williamson, Julie Anthony, John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, Vanessa Amorosi and Tina Arena celebrate the launch of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Credit: JULIAN SMITH/AAPIMAGE/FILE

Amorosi went on to perform at several fundraisers for Newton-John’s charities in the years since.

The greatest hits of Olivia Newton-John.

The greatest hits of Olivia Newton-John.

Massive lightning strike kills two outside White House.

Massive lightning strike kills two outside White House.

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Categories
Business

Brisbane Airport is looking to fill 2000 positions – these are the jobs up for grabs

As we’ve seen in recent months, the process of catching a flight has become increasingly chaotic.

Delays, cancellations, lost baggage and lengthy queues have plagued the travel sector this year, largely due to a severe shortage of labour, exacerbated by thousands of workers being made redundant during the pandemic.

Watch: The jobs on offer at Brisbane Airport in the video above

Watch Sunrise on Channel 7 and stream it for free on 7plus >>

Airports are now in overdrive to scale up and find staff with plenty of jobs waiting to be filled.

Brisbane Airport is recruiting as many as 2000 people for a variety of positions ranging from engineers to gardeners.

“We’re looking for virtually every job you find at an airport,” Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff told Sunrise.

“From airline crew to baggage handlers, from people working in our retail stores to engineers and accountants.

“Across the board we’re looking for people because of the recovery of our industry, but also the future growth we’re expecting in the aviation industry.”

It’s also anticipated that as passenger traffic grows, another 10,000 people will be needed over the next decade.

Brisbane Airport from above Credit: BNE Airport

“Aviation gets in your blood,” de Graaff said.

“It’s an exciting world… it’s so cool.”

The Brisbane Airport Careers Expo will be held on Saturday September 10, 2022. More info can be found here.

Sam Mac attends prenatal zoom.

Sam Mac attends prenatal zoom.

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Categories
Sports

Watch as Melissa Wu celebrates Commonwealth Games diving gold medal after SAS Australia injury almost ended career

Melissa Wu has celebrated a full-circle gold medal at the Commonwealth Games after bouncing back from an SAS Australia injury that almost ended her diving career.

Wu won the synchronized 10m platform on Saturday with Charli Petrov, a 14-year-old who was not even born when a 13-year-old Wu won silver at Melbourne 2006.

Watch the gold medalists’ emotional interview in the video above

Stream Seven’s coverage of the Commonwealth Games 2022 for free on 7plus >>

Petrov became the star of the show after defying her lack of experience to win gold but Wu’s own journey is something to savor.

The 30-year-old, who won an individual bronze at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, has been a constant for Australia ever since making her international debut at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

It hasn’t always been easy for the Sydneysider, though, having dealt with back injuries since she was 21.

“I think I’ll be injured for as long as I dive,” Wu said in 2013.

The issue reared its head again late last year following a stint on Channel 7’s SAS Australia.

Melissa Wu pushed herself to the brink on SAS Australia, passing out during one challenge. Credit: Supplied
Melissa receives oxygen after a tough challenge on SAS Australia. Credit: Supplied

Wu proved to be among the toughest contestants when she pushed herself to the brink in several challenges, despite one setting off her back injury.

She eventually withdrew from SAS and immediately began to rehabilitate her body and mind ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

“This year has been a really big struggle for me with my body and injury,” Wu said after winning gold.

“I literally couldn’t touch my toes, I couldn’t even do daily activities and daily living. So to be able to push through and dive the 10m today means so much to me.

“I couldn’t even imagine diving off the 10m when I was in the depths of being really injured.

“I got the injury on SAS Australia but I took a lot of lessons from that. It is a bit ironic, but what I learned on the show also helped me push through the injury and I’m really proud of my efforts.”

Charli Petrov and Melissa Wu of Australia celebrate with their gold medals after winning the Women’s Synchronized 10m Platform Final during Day 9 of the XXII Commonwealth Games at the Sandwell Aquatics Center in Birmingham, England, Friday, July 29, 2022. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY Credit: DAVE HUNT/AAPIMAGE

EVERYEVENT: Check out the full Commonwealth Games schedule

TALLY MEDAL: Every gold, silver and bronze at Birmingham 2022

LATEST RESULTS: Detailed breakdown of every event at the Games

The comeback bid included integrating her training program with Petrov despite the challenge of living in different cities, not to mention the gap in age and experience.

But with gold around her neck, Wu championed the breath of fresh air that her teenage partner became during a taxing time in her career.

“I think that some things you don’t tend to appreciate as much – not that you don’t appreciate it – you just sort of get used to it, I guess,” Wu told Channel 7’s Weekend Sunrise later.

“But Charli’s experiencing everything for the first time and that makes me look at things a different way and look at things through those fresh eyes that I remember I had at her age.

“I think for me that’s been really special to be able to take it all in and appreciate the moments, because it’s never guaranteed.

“You’ve got to soak up every minute while you’re here.”

Charli Petrov (middle) has been a breath of fresh air for Melissa Wu. Credit: Dave Hunt/AAP

Wu made it clear, too, that the partnership with Petrov is just getting started.

“I’ve loved diving with Charli. Ella she’s been amazing so far, ”she said.

“She’s such an incredible young athlete with a really good head on her shoulders. That’s made it so easy for us to come together.

“It’s been such a pleasure to dive with her, I’ve loved every minute of it so far.”

In the video below: John Steffensen emulates Aussie gold medalist’s epic celebration

John Steffensen rips shirt off on Weekend Sunrise.

John Steffensen rips shirt off on Weekend Sunrise.

The pair finished seventh in Petrov’s international debut at the world championships in Budapest four weeks before the Commonwealth Games.

The wide-eyed teenager said it will take time before it has sunk in that she already has a gold medal under her belt.

“I don’t know how that happened but it was all an amazing experience,” Petrov said.

“I’m honestly speechless. It’s still – I don’t know if it’s hit me yet. I think it’ll hit me tomorrow morning when I’m fresh, like ‘wait, what happened? This isn’t a dream.

“I’m over the moon.”

Just like Tokyo 2020 on Seven, there will be one destination to watch every epic feat, every medal moment, every record attempt and every inspiring turn from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

7plus is the only place to watch up to 30 live and replay channels of sport, see what’s on when, keep up to date with the medal tally, create a watchlist to follow your favorite events and catch up on highlights.

Netball star’s painful collision with goal post

Netball star’s painful collision with goal post

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Categories
Australia

Neighbor in custody after alleged triple-fatal shooting in Bogie, Queensland

A person has been taken into custody following an alleged shooting at a Queensland property that left three people dead.

Queensland Police Acting Superintendent Tom Armitt told Sunrise on Friday the person “nominated for that offense is with us here in custody”.

“We haven’t pressed any charges at this point in time while our investigations are ongoing,” he said.

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Armitt said the parties involved in the alleged shooting were neighbors.

The alleged shooting took place at Bogie, between Mackay and Townsville, on Thursday morning.

The surviving man was airlifted to hospital. Credit: 7NEWS

A family-of-four was allegedly shot, three fatally, with the survivor able to flee the scene.

He is believed to be a man in his 30s.

He was initially in a critical condition but has undergone multiple emergency surgeries and is now reported as being serious but stable.

“He was able to speak to us overnight and provide us details of what occurred at the incident yesterday morning,” Armitt said.

“And detectives will be speaking to him again this morning.”

The property and search area at Bogie was described by police as ‘extensive’. Credit: 7NEWS

Police are yet to confirm a motive for the alleged shooting.

Two men and a woman died at the scene, while the surviving man stumbled into remote bushland with a wound to his stomach.

He was airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital.

An emergency declaration was made to include Shannonvale Road, where the shooting took place, before it was revoked on Friday morning.

Watch: Scientists stunned by discovery of a ‘walking shark’.

Watch: Scientists stunned by discovery of a ‘walking shark’.

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Entertainment

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ‘quick unraveling’ exposed by author Tom Bowers in new interview as dinner party secrets exposed

Meghan Markle has reportedly been advised not to pursue legal action over a damning new book, as its author provides more insight into what he calls the “unraveling” of the so-called Harry and Meghan show.

Royal biographer Tom Bower made a series of claims in his book – Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors – and he appeared on Channel 7’s Sunrise on Tuesday to spill new secrets.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Royal biographer slams Meghan Markle in new biography

For more Royal Family related news and videos check out Royal Family >>

Bower doesn’t hold back in the unauthorized biography, for which he says he interviewed more than 80 sources.

The author claims it was difficult to speak with people who viewed the Duchess of Sussex in a positive light.

Bower spoke with Sunrise hosts David “Kochie” Koch and Natalie Barr on Tuesday, and was asked a question he does not usually encounter.

David Koch and Natalie Barr speak to author Tom Bower. Credit: Sunrise

Does he have anything nice to say about Meghan Markle?

“I think she’s an ambitious, successful woman in her own right, I think that she can be nice if she wants to be,” the author said from the UK.

“She’s intelligent, she’s sassy, ​​I think she’s one of those people you take with a pinch of salt.

“Sometimes she can be nice … depending on how she wants to behave.”

Bower said that, while researching the book, he had spoken to people who worked on Meghan’s show Suits, her school friends and London friends.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth II in 2018. Credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images

While friends of the duchess painted her in a positive light, the author said her “victims” told a “different story about her than the one she wanted published”.

Barr asked the author why attitudes towards Meghan were now different from when she married Prince Harry in 2018.

“She voluntarily came to England and married into the Royal Family and she must have known what that required,” the author told Sunrise.

“She had to be part of the team and support the Queen and play her part.

Tom Bower, author of Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the war between the Windsors. Credit: Sunrise

“And all she really did was complain because she wanted the spotlight, she wanted to be number one.

“She wanted to turn the royal family into a Hollywood celebrity game.”

Bower said he believes Meghan never wanted to stay in Britain.

“I think she wanted the title, she wanted the fame, and then go back to California,” said Sunrise.

Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle. Credit: PA Images via Getty Images

“It was really because of that, and because she allegedly bullied a lot of her staff, she made them very unhappy,” he claimed.”

Bower also alleges Meghan “turned Harry against his family and Harry was the most popular of all the royals, besides the Queen”.

“On the whole (she) did what Meghan wanted, and not what the royal family expected… and it all quickly unraveled,” he said.

“And it didn’t unravel because she wasn’t being helped, it didn’t unravel because of racism, it unraveled because Meghan didn’t get what she wanted, which was the spotlight on her.”

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Bower also makes other intriguing allegations in his book, including that Meghan made Kate Middleton cry before Meghan’s wedding in 2018 – contrary to what Meghan said in her Oprah interview.

He claimed the Queen was relieved when Meghan did not attend Prince Phillip’s funeral in April 2021.

Another claim he makes is that Meghan suspected Victoria Beckham was leaking stories to the media.

‘f***ing nuts’

Meanwhile, UK publication Express has reported that Bower claims in the book that Prince Harry’s pals from Eton had thought he was “f***ing nuts” for dating Meghan.

During a “shooting” weekend, the couple had joined 16 of Harry’s friends for dinner on Friday.

Bower claimed in the book that, like other such weekends, “Harry was looking forward to endless banter, jokes — and a lot of drinking.”

The jokes involved “sexism, feminism and transgender people”, and “Meghan challenged every guest whose conversation contravened her values”, Bower wrote.

“’She lacked any sense of humour,” he wrote.

”Driving home after Sunday lunch, the texts pinged between the cars: ‘OMG, what about HER?’ said one. ‘Harry must be f***ing nuts’.”

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