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This Oscar-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died aged 89.

This actor, with roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was revealed in a statement shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in a number of films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero as well as my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative as well as empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Beginnings and Breakthrough

Her initial acting years saw minor parts in television programs such as The Fugitive whereas the seventies saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, the year 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.

Later Decades

In the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she earned another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she obtained an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought me and Laura to London for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

The nineties featured performances in comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother once more. That period also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She persisted in performing with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her later TV roles consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film which starred herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Indeed, I am the sole female ever who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Family Ties

Ladd was also a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact throughout my life”.

In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and informed she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely when her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.

“When you use your pain and not let it back up like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.