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This Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.

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

Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mother in various films such as Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero and my precious gift being my mom”, writing that she was at her bedside when she passed.

“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist as well as empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Breakthrough

Her initial acting years saw minor parts in television programs including The Fugitive whereas the seventies had her appearing with actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, the year 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she earned a further supporting actress nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic 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 acting in Rambling Rose which included her daughter.

“This was the film which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought Laura and I to the UK for a royal premiere and a party for us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”

The 1990s featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother again. The decade also earned her Emmy nominations for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her later TV roles included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Filmmaking Ventures

She additionally penned and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Indeed, I am the sole female ever to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

She was additionally the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration in my life”.

In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and advised her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.