Diane Ladd, the Oscar-nominated actress and mother of Laura Dern, has died at 89. Dern announced that her mother passed at her home in Ojai, California, on Monday, Nov. 3, saying, “My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother… She is flying with her angels now.” No cause of death was given.
Ladd’s six-decade career included roles in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990), Rambling Rose (1991), and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989). She received three Academy Award and three Emmy nominations. Her final role was in the 2022 drama Gigi & Nate.
Born Diane Ladner in Mississippi on Nov. 29, 1935, Ladd began acting in the 1950s, appearing in TV series like Naked City and Perry Mason. She earned her first film credit in 1966’s The Wild Angels, co-starring with future husband Bruce Dern. The couple had two daughters, Diane and Laura; their eldest tragically died as a toddler.
Dern and Ladd collaborated on several projects, including Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose, and HBO’s Enlightened, and co-wrote their memoir Honey, Baby, Mine in 2023. Dern honored her parents while accepting her first Oscar for Marriage Story in 2020.
Ladd was married three times, most recently to Robert Charles Hunter, who died in July 2025. Bruce Dern remembered her as a “tremendous actress” and “wonderful mother” to Laura.
