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The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.

The actress, whose roles included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was announced via an announcement shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who performed alongside her mother in several movies like Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero as well as my special gift of a mother”, writing that she was at her bedside during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Initial Roles and Major Success

Ladd’s early career saw minor parts in television programs like Perry Mason and that decade featured her performing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow and humorous film Christmas Vacation and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a television series inspired by her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she earned another supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film the movie Wild at Heart where she played the mother of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she was awarded another nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.

“This was the picture which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited me and Laura to England for a special screening and an event for us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”

That decade included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern again. Those years also brought her Emmy nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

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

Filmmaking Ventures

Ladd also wrote and oversaw the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck featuring her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. In fact, I’m the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Life

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

During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and advised her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely when her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, instead use it to discover, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.