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The Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.

The actress, whose roles spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in Ojai, California. The news was announced through a message from her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films such as Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero and my precious gift being my mom”, noting that she was by her side during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative along with caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career featured supporting roles in television programs including Perry Mason while the seventies featured her performing alongside actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.

Later Decades

In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow plus comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a comedy program based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she earned a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.

“This was the picture which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and a party in our honor,” Ladd said about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”

That decade also saw roles in comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother again. The decade also brought her Emmy nominations for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She additionally starred with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

She also authored and oversaw the comedy the movie Mrs Munck that included her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

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

In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery when her daughter moved 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 you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.