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The Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.

This actress, whose credits spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was announced in a statement from her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in various films like Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero and my profound gift being my mom”, noting that she was present when she passed.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Beginnings and Major Success

The start of her career included supporting roles on television series such as Perry Mason while the seventies featured her performing next to Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

In the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the show Alice, a television series derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she earned a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. A year later she obtained a further nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.

“This movie which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought Laura and I to London for a royal premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”

The nineties featured performances in humorous films Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom another time. Those years also brought her TV award nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She continued to star alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

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

Writing and Directing

She additionally penned and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck which starred herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. In fact, I stand as the only woman ever who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Life

She happened to be the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact in my life”.

In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and told she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely once her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.