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

This star, with credits spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. The news was revealed in a statement by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in various films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero and my precious gift of a mother”, noting that she was present during her final moments.

“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist as well as caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career included small roles in television programs including The Fugitive while the 1970s had her appearing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

During the eighties, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she was given an additional best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mother of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The next year she received a further nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose that also featured her daughter.

“This was the film that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to the UK for a special screening and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”

That decade also saw roles in comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern once more. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She persisted in performing with her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.

Filmmaking Ventures

She additionally penned and directed the comedy the movie Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Actually, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact on my life”.

During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and told she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely after her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.