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The award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.

The actress, with filmography spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. The news was shared via an announcement by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who appeared with her mom in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero as well as my special gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative and caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Initial Roles and Breakthrough

The start of her career included minor parts in TV shows including The Fugitive whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow and funny follow-up Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a comedy program derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she was given a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she received another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited Laura and I to London for a premiere and a party for us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”

That decade also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother again. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film featuring herself and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Actually, I’m the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and told she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely when her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.

“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.