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This award-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd has died aged 89.

The actress, with filmography spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. The news was revealed via an announcement by her child, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside her mother in a number of films such as Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my incredible hero as well as my profound gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside when she passed.

“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Her initial acting years saw supporting roles in TV shows like Gunsmoke and the seventies saw her starring with actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

Throughout the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on Alice, a television series inspired by her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she received another best supporting actress nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mom of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. A year later she obtained an additional nod for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew us to the UK for a special screening and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”

That decade included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother again. That period also brought her TV award nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

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

Her later TV roles included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck that included herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Life

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

During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and informed her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.

“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, rather utilize it to explore, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.