Diane Ladd, ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’ Star And Mother Of Laura Dern, Dead At 89

Diane Ladd, the three-time Oscar nominee and mother of actress Laura Dern, has passed away. She was 89.

Dern confirmed her passing in a statement, per Variety. “My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, Ca.,” Dern said.

Her statement continued, “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.”

Born Rose Diane Ladnier in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1935, Ladd became a prolific actress best known for her performances in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, all of which earned her Oscar nominations.

Ladd’s decades-long career began in 1949 with several television appearances in shows like The Big Story, Decoy and Perry Mason. Her first feature role came in the 1966 thriller The Wild Angels, sparking a prolific career in film where she became known for delivering compelling performances as eccentric, vulnerable women.

She went on to star in several notable films, including Joy, Ghosts of Mississippi, Chinatown and more.

The actress notably shared the screen with her daughter several times over the years, including an appearance in Dern’s HBO drama Enlightened, which she played her mother. Ladd and Dern also starred together in Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, for which they were both nominated for an Oscar in 1992.

Ladd continued acting until 2022 when she last appeared in the drama, Isle of Hope.

Her other final credited roles include Gigi & Nate, Chesapeake Shores and Young Sheldon.