Diane Ladd dies at 89; acclaimed actor was nominated 3 times for Oscar

Diane Ladd dies at 89; acclaimed actor was nominated 3 times for Oscar

Briefly

"Ladd's death was announced Monday by daughter Laura Dern, who issued a statement saying her mother and occasional co-star had died at her home in Ojai, California, with Dern at her side. Dern, who called Ladd her amazing hero and profound gift of a mother, did not immediately cite a cause of death. She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created, Dern wrote. We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now."

"A gifted comic and dramatic performer, Ladd had a long career in television and on stage before breaking through as a film performer in Martin Scorsese's 1974 release Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. She earned an Oscar nomination for supporting actor for her turn as the acerbic, straight-talking Flo, and went on to appears in dozens of movies over the following decades. Her many credits included Chinatown, Primary Colors and two other movies for which she received best supporting nods, Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, both of which co-starred her daughter. She also continued to work in television, with appearances in ER, Touched by Angel and Alice, the spinoff from Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, among others."

"Through marriage and blood relations, Ladd was tied to the arts. Tennessee Williams was a second cousin and first husband Bruce Dern, Laura's father, was himself an Academy Award nominee. Ladd and Laura Dern achieved the rare feat of mother-and-daughter nominees for their work in Rambling Rose."