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The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.

This actress, whose credits spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed in a statement by her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mom in several movies including Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero and my profound gift being my mom”, writing that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative and compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Early Career and Major Success

Ladd’s early career saw small roles in television programs including The Fugitive whereas the seventies featured her performing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, the year 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.

1980s and Beyond

In the 1980s, she starred in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow plus comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she was given an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The next year she obtained a further nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.

“This was the film that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to London for a royal premiere and a party for us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”

The nineties also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother again. The decade also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.

Collaborations with Daughter

She continued to star with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred next to actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her more recent television parts included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. Indeed, I am the sole female in recorded history who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and informed she had just six months to live but made a full recovery when her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.

“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, rather utilize it to explore, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.