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The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.

The star, whose credits featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in California’s Ojai. This announcement was announced in a statement shared by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in various films including Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my incredible hero plus my profound gift as a mother”, stating that she was present during her final moments.

“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative along with compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career featured minor parts in television programs including Gunsmoke whereas that decade had her appearing with Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she starred in the thriller the movie Black Widow as well as comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a comedy program inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she received an additional best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the mom of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she received an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited me and Laura to London for a royal premiere and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”

The nineties also saw roles in comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed the mother of Dern again. Those years also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.

Collaborations with Daughter

She continued to star alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and helmed the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck featuring her and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. In fact, I stand as the only woman 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.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

She was additionally the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a great influence throughout my life”.

During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and advised she only had half a year left but she regained full health once her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, rather utilize it to discover, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.