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The Oscar-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.

This actress, with roles featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. The news was revealed through a message shared by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in various films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero and my precious gift being my mom”, stating that she was by her side when she passed.

“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Major Success

Ladd’s early career featured small roles in TV shows including The Fugitive and the seventies saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller the movie Black Widow plus comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and appeared on the show Alice, a sitcom inspired by her earlier movie.

During the next ten years, she received another best supporting actress nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought me and Laura to England for a royal premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”

The nineties included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother once more. Those years also earned her Emmy nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She persisted in performing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She additionally starred next to Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

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

Writing and Directing

Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck that included her and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. Actually, I’m the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Family Ties

Ladd was also the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact in my life”.

In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live but made a full recovery when her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead use it to explore, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd said.