James Tupper Says He and Son Atlas Are 'Taking Care of Each Other' After Anne Heche's Death (Exclusive)
“We still miss her, we miss her every day, love her" Tupper said of his ex, who was involved in a devastating car crash on Aug. 5
Araya Doheny/Getty ; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
James Tupper and his son Atlas are “taking care of each other” following Anne Hech’s death.
On Friday, Tupper, 57, spoke to PEOPLE at the 30th annual Race to Erase MS Gala about how he and his 14-year-old looking after one another after Heche crashed her car on Aug. 5 and later succumbed to injuries.
“We're taking care of each other and taking it one day at a time,” Tupper told PEOPLE at the event, held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, Calif. “We've got a lot of great support and family around us, and it doesn't help.”
He added of his ex and Atlas’ mother, “We still miss her, we miss her every day, love her.”
The actor previously spoke to PEOPLE about how he and his son were coping with their loss at the reading of Heche’s new memoir, Call Me Anne, in January.
"I want to say that I'm doing great, but it's been a very, very difficult time. A very big transition and spending time with my boy and looking after him, that's basically been my whole focus," Tupper told PEOPLE at the event.
"It's very difficult whenever you lose a parent like that. Your whole world switches inside out, and I think kids experience trauma in a way that adults don't. Adults have a context to put it in, but kids do not. You want to bury it, you want to forget about it and move past it," he added. "I happened to have lost my mom, too, when I was very, very young. So I kind of understand what he's going through."
Tupper told PEOPLE that "grief is a difficult thing" and that "it comes in waves," adding that there have been times when he's had to pull his car over while driving because he's been "so upset" following Heche's death.
"This shock that she's gone now — someone that you really loved and really knew very, very well... [It's] impossible to get over quickly," he said.
As for how he and 13-year-old Atlas are coping with the loss, he told PEOPLE, "Atlas has taken up tennis, so he plays like two to three hours a day, and I think that's creating a real nice balance." He added that Atlas "has really good friends. So keeping these things carefully in balance, that's how we're getting through grief."
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Following the devastating car crash, the 53-year-old Emmy Award-winning actress remained in a coma for nearly a week before she was 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.
"Today we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend," a rep for the star told PEOPLE in a statement at the time. "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."
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