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The Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us 89 years old.

The actress, with credits featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in Ojai, California. Her passing was revealed via an announcement from her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who starred with her mother in various films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero as well as my special gift of a mother”, noting that she was present when she passed.

“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist and compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Early Career and Major Success

The start of her career included supporting roles in TV shows including Gunsmoke and the 1970s saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

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

Later Decades

In the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow as well as comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she was given a further best supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the mom of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. A year later she received an additional nod for her performance in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.

“This movie that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”

The 1990s also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also saw her score TV award nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Collaborations with Daughter

She kept appearing with Laura Dern in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Her later TV roles included Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and helmed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Connections

She was additionally the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact on my life”.

During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery when her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead apply it to explore, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.