Diane Ladd, the three-time Oscar nominee and mother of Laura Dern, died Monday, November 3, at her home in Ojai, California. She was 89. Her daughter was by her side. Multiple outlets including the Los Angeles Times and People confirmed the news.
According to People, Laura Dern shared a statement calling her mother “my amazing hero” and “a profound gift,” adding that Ladd passed at home that morning. Town & Country reprinted the tribute the same day. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Continuing the statement: “She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit,” Laura wrote. The phrasing lands hard in an era of family breakdowns and disconnectedness.
Work that endures
Diane Ladd had a rich career across movies and TV. The Los Angeles Times reported that the star had more than 200 screen credits, including working with Scorsese and Lynch. Highlights from her career include Oscar-nominated turns in “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Wild at Heart,” and “Rambling Rose,” the last two alongside her daughter Laura Dern. Her body of work still plays on cable channels and streaming services today, which is a testament to the celebrities enduring legacy.
Reports in Reuters and Variety pointed out a unique fact that many may not know. Diane Ladd and Laura became the only mother and daughter nominated for acting Oscars in the same movie, in the same year. This movie was “Rambling Rose”. A footnote in history that seems befitting considering the bond this mother and daughter clearly had.
Lives in the spotlight
Reports from People suggest Ladd’s passing came just over three months after the death of her husband of 26 years, Robert Charles Hunter, a former PepsiCo Food Systems CEO. He died at 77 on August 1, 2025, while visiting family in Texas.
Again, reported by People, family tragedy dates back to 1962, where Ladd’s first daughter with Bruce Dern, Diane Elizabeth, died at 18 months after falling into a swimming pool while in a babysitter’s care. Years later, in interviews tied to the 2023 CBS “Sunday Morning” segment and their joint memoir “Honey, Baby, Mine,” Ladd and Dern finally revisited that loss together.
People notes that the tragedy strained Ladd’s marriage to Bruce Dern. They welcomed Laura in 1967, worked, traveled, tried to keep going, then split. Dern paid a warm tribute this week to his ex-wife, calling her “funny, clever, gracious,” a tremendous actor, and a devoted mother. It is rare to see that kind of grace in a statement, and it says a lot about the life she lived.
Illness, then resolve
The Times and People reported that doctors diagnosed Diane Ladd with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. At the time they estimated only months for her to live. This is where walking and talking with mother and daughter became a medicine. Those conversations became a memoir and a second wind. CBS reported that this process changed them both.
At a time where we see non-stop family drama, not just on the screen, but playing out on social media, daily news, and beyond, aspects of this sad story are joyful. Specifically the love people had for this star, the legacy she left behind, and most-importantly, the compassion between daughter and mother. It’s a shame that for most people, so much of the conversation about family arrives only after they’re gone.