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This award-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us at the age of 89.

This star, with credits spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was shared in a statement shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who starred with Diane Ladd in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero plus my special gift as a mother”, noting that she was by her side when she passed.

“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist and empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Major Success

The start of her career saw supporting roles in television programs like The Fugitive while the 1970s had her appearing with Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a sitcom based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she was given a further supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the parent of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received a further nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Dern.

“This movie that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought Laura and I to England for a special screening and a party in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”

The nineties featured performances in humorous films Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Laura Dern’s mom another time. The decade also earned her Emmy nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy the movie Mrs Munck that included herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”

Family Ties

Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration in my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health once her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.

“When you use your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, rather utilize it to discover, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.