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The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away at the age of 89.

The star, whose credits spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was revealed through a message from her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Dern, who starred with her mom in a number of films like Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero plus my precious gift as a mother”, writing that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Initial Roles and Breakthrough

The start of her career featured small roles in television programs such as Gunsmoke while that decade featured her performing alongside actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the show Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she earned an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she obtained another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured her daughter.

“This was the film which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited us to London for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”

The nineties included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom again. Those years also saw her score TV award nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Collaborations with Daughter

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

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

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd 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 ever to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Life

She was additionally a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence in my life”.

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

“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead apply it to explore, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.