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The Oscar-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.

This star, with credits included Chinatown, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. This announcement was shared through a message shared by her child, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who starred with her mom in a number of films like Wild at Heart, called her “my wonderful hero plus my special gift as a mother”, writing that she was by her side as she died.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Major Success

The start of her career saw small roles on television series including Gunsmoke whereas that decade saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, the year 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

In the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining Alice, a sitcom derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she earned another Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her performance in Lynch’s Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mother of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The next year she was awarded another nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”

That decade included parts in comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother once more. That period also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her later TV roles included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Filmmaking Ventures

Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Actually, I am the sole female in recorded history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Family Ties

Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration in my life”.

Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and advised her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health after her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.

“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.