Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd, mother of Laura Dern, has died at age 89 at her home in Ojai, California
LOS ANGELES: Diane Ladd, the Oscar-nominated actress celebrated for her role in “Wild at Heart” and mother of Laura Dern, has died at the age of 89.
Her death was announced on Monday by her daughter, Oscar-winning actress Laura Dern.
Laura Dern shared a heartfelt statement with The Hollywood Reporter confirming her mother’s passing.
“My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother passed with me beside her this morning at her home in Ojai, California,” Dern wrote.
Ladd received three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress during her extensive career.
Her nominated performances were in Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart,” and “Rambling Rose.”
She was born in Mississippi in 1935 and built a prolific career across eight decades in film, television, and stage.
Scorsese gave Ladd her breakout role as a sassy waitress in the 1974 film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”
Director David Lynch later cast her as the murderous, vengeful mother of Laura Dern’s character in the surreal 1990 black comedy “Wild at Heart.”
Ladd starred alongside her daughter again in the 1991 period drama “Rambling Rose,” set in the Deep South during the Great Depression.
Her extensive filmography also includes notable roles in “Chinatown” and “Inland Empire.”
Laura Dern paid a moving tribute to her mother’s legacy and character.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” Dern expressed.
“We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
No cause of death was provided in the announcement. – AFP
