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This award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.

The star, with credits spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. The news was shared in a statement from her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who starred with her mother in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero and my special gift of a mother”, writing that she was by her side when she passed.

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

Early Career and Major Success

Her initial acting years included minor parts in TV shows like The Fugitive while the 1970s had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, the year 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

In the 1980s, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story and funny follow-up Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a television series derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she earned a further supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mother of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The next year she obtained a further nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.

“This was the film that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought me and Laura to England for a special screening and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”

That decade featured performances in comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother again. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

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

Writing and Directing

She additionally penned and directed the comedy Mrs Munck that included her and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. In fact, I’m the only woman ever who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Family Ties

Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence on my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and informed she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.

“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like a sore or something, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.