Anne Heche's ex James Tupper is making sure that her memory lives on with their son, Atlas. "We talk about her all the time, weekly," Tupper, 60, exclusively told Us Weekly while attending the Giving A Smile Foundation Gala in Beverly Hills on Thursday, December 11. "She was one of the most incredible people I've ever met. And he loves his mom." Heche and Tupper began dating in 2009, and they welcomed Atlas, now 16, that same year. The pair remained together until their 2018 split. (Heche was also mother to son Homer, whom she shared with ex-husband Coleman Laffoon.) Four years later, Heche was involved in a serious car accident where she sustained multiple life-threatening injuries and fell into a coma. Heche died six days after the incident. She was 53. Anne Heche's Ex James Tupper Takes 'Great Joy and Pride' in Son Atlas "I think, one of the really critical things when you lose someone that's so important to you, like that, like a mom, like a mother [is] that we honor her," Tupper continued. "We keep her in our thoughts. He has a picture by his bed, and he still loves her the same as if she was here with us." Tupper shared that now that Atlas has become a teenager, he's grown tremendously. "He's 16 now. He's a big guy," he said. "He's a tennis player." Tupper joked that Atlas' "legs are bigger than" his because of his son's athletic frame. Since Heche's passing, Tupper has continued to honor the late actress and keep her memory alive in their family. "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 in a tribute following her death. "She will always be remembered in our hearts and minds." Atlas, for his part, broke his silence on his mom's tragic death one year after the accident. "My mom was the brightest person I've ever known," he said in a statement to the Los Angeles Inquisitor magazine in January 2023. "She always knew how to solve a problem, or help a friend. She always knew the right thing to do. I cannot put into words how grateful I am or how much I miss her." Last year, Tupper opened up to Us about how much he loves fatherhood and how proud he is of his son. "I love being a dad. It's my No. 1 thing," Tupper explained in December 2024 in a joint interview with his son. "I take great joy and pride in the way that he's growing." Anne Heche's Son Atlas Makes Rare Red Carpet Appearance With Dad James Tupper Tupper gushed over Atlas for his achievements in school including being a "straight A student" and making the tennis team. "He's an advanced junior tennis player, and he's hoping to go into university or even pro," the Big Little Lies actor reflected. "So he's got a lot of great things going for him and just to watch him do all that - stand up for himself and fight - it's unbelievable." Atlas added that he was able to accomplish his goals because of his father. "He really does everything. There's no sugar coating. He's everything to me," Atlas told Us. "I wouldn't be where I am at all [without him] - [he] drives me everywhere, feeds me. There's nothing he doesn't do that I don't like. I really love him very much."