Anne Heche's Son Atlas Remembers His Mom as 'the Brightest Person I've Ever Known' in Touching Tribute

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Anne Heche with son Atlas
Anne Heche with son Atlas

Anne Heche/Instagram

Anne Heche's 13-year-old son is publicly paying tribute to his mother for the first time, nearly six months after she died following a car crash.

Atlas Heche Tupper remembered the late actress as "the brightest person I've ever known" in a touching tribute published on Tuesday, in honor of the release date of his mom's new memoir, Call Me Anne.

"She always knew how to solve a problem, or help a friend," he said in a statement shared with the Los Angeles Inquisitor. "She always knew the right thing to do. I cannot put into words how grateful I am or how much I miss her."

RELATED: Anne Heche's Son Thanks Fans for 'Love, Care and Support' Ahead of Posthumous Memoir Release

anne heche
anne heche

Anne Heche

Atlas' father James Tupper — who dated Heche from 2007 to 2018 — also shared his memories of the late star.

"Anne and I were together for more than a decade, we have a beautiful son together and in that time, she was the very definition of light in our lives, always bringing fun, love and energy," he shared. "She will always be remembered in our hearts and minds."

RELATED: First Look at Anne Heche Memoir Released After Her Death: How She Found Peace After Childhood Abuse

The duo's tributes come after Heche's older son, Homer Laffoon — whom Heche shared with ex-husband Coleman Laffoon — thanked the public for their "support" ahead of the release of his mom's memoir.

"First things first, from August to now, the amount of love, care and support shown by those on social media and IRL [in real life] has been overwhelming and blessedly received — thank you," he shared, in part, on Instagram. "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."

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Rachel Murray/Getty Anne Heche and homer Laffoon

Homer, 20, also spoke about her new book, Call Me Anne, which Heche had been working on for months leading up to her death. The memoir is a follow-up to Heche's 2001 book Call Me Crazy.

"I have a responsibility to share with her community what she was working on and how excited she would have been to tell you herself," he wrote. "The book is the product of mom's further efforts to share her story and to help others where she could. 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 its own, as you would have wanted," he added.

RELATED VIDEO: Anne Heche's Son Homer Laffoon, 20, Named General Administrator of Her Estate

Heche was 53 years old when she was involved in a devastating car crash on Aug. 5. The Emmy Award-winning actress remained in a coma for nearly a week before being declared legally dead in the state of California on Aug. 11. Her heart continued to beat until Aug. 14 in order to ensure her organs could be donated in accordance with her wishes.

RELATED: Anne Heche's Son Homer Laffoon, 20, Named General Administrator of Her Estate

In the months following her death, Heche's son Homer became entangled in a months-long legal battle with Tupper, 57, over who would take legal control over Heche's remaining assets.

In October, Homer was granted expanded "special powers" as the special administrator of Heche's estate, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. The following month, a judge named Homer as the general administrator of Heche's estate.

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Call Me Anne is now available for purchase.