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This Academy Award-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died aged 89.

The actress, whose roles spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. Her passing was announced through a message shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.

Laura Dern, who starred with her mom in several movies like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero as well as my special gift of a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside when she passed.

“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Early Career and Breakthrough

Her initial acting years included minor parts on television series such as The Fugitive while the 1970s saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on Alice, a comedy program based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she earned another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mother of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she obtained another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew me and Laura to England for a special screening and a celebration for us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”

That decade included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom another time. Those years also saw her score Emmy nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Collaborations with Daughter

She kept appearing alongside her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Filmmaking Ventures

Ladd also wrote and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him on a project. Indeed, I am the sole female in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Life

She happened to be a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact throughout my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely when her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.

“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.