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

The star, whose roles included Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced in a statement shared by her child, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.

Laura Dern, who appeared with her mom in a number of films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero plus my precious gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside when she passed.

“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Major Success

The start of her career saw minor parts in TV shows such as Perry Mason while the seventies had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

That very year, the year 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller the movie Black Widow plus comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a sitcom derived from her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she received another Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she obtained an additional nod for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included Dern.

“This movie that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought us to London for a royal premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”

The 1990s featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Dern’s mother another time. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Collaborations with Daughter

She continued to star alongside her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Filmmaking Ventures

She additionally penned and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Actually, I stand as the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Life

Ladd was also a relative of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration on my life”.

During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and told she only had half a year left but made a full recovery once her daughter moved her to a different hospital.

“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead apply it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.