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The Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.

The actress, whose roles spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed in a statement shared by her offspring, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.

Her daughter, who starred with her mom in a number of films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero as well as my special gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative along with compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career included small roles in TV shows including Gunsmoke and the 1970s saw her starring alongside Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a television series based on her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she received another best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in the David Lynch film the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the parent of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she received a further nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured her daughter.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew me and Laura to England for a special screening and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”

That decade included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern again. That period also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Collaborations with Daughter

She kept appearing with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred with Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

She also authored and directed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck that included her and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. Actually, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Connections

She happened to be a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact in my life”.

In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery after her daughter moved her to another medical facility.

“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead use it to discover, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.