Actress Diane Ladd
Dead at 89
Published
Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd — actress Laura Dern‘s mother — has died at the age of 89.
Ladd, known best for her roles in “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and David Lynch‘s “Wild at Heart,” died Monday at her home in Ojai, California, according to a statement from Laura Dern published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Ladd began her career on TV, appearing in various roles beginning in the 1950s, including “The Naked City” and “The Fugitive.” She had minor film parts before her career on the silver screen kicked off in the ’70s, acting in “White Lightning,” “Chinatown,” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”
She continued with roles on big and small screens through the decades, including in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “A Kiss Before Dying,” and on TV’s “In the Heat of the Night,” “L.A. Law,” “ER,” and “Young Sheldon.” Her last film gig was 2022’s “Isle of Hope.”
In daughter Dern’s tribute, Laura wrote her “amazing hero” and “profound gift of a mother” died by her side Monday morning. Diane’s cause of death was not released.
Laura wrote … “She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist, and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created. We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Ladd was 89.
RIP