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This Oscar-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died aged 89.

This actress, whose roles included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced in a statement from her daughter, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in a number of films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero and my profound gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside during her final moments.

“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative as well as compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

The start of her career saw small roles in television programs such as The Fugitive and the seventies had her appearing alongside Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.

Later Decades

In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a television series derived from her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she was given a further supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her biological child Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited me and Laura to England for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”

The 1990s included parts in humorous films The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother once more. That period also saw her score TV award nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She continued to star with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She additionally starred with Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her later TV roles featured the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and oversaw the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Connections

She happened to be the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration throughout my life”.

Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and informed she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely once her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead use it to explore, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.