Diane Ladd, Actress and Mother of Laura Dern, Dies at 89 — After Being Told She Had Only Months to Live

Laura Dern's mother's passing came over a year after Dern opened up about how the diagnosis her mom received sparked emotional and deep conversations between them.

Diane Ladd, a trailblazing actress known for her magnetic presence and fearless portrayals, has sadly passed away at the age of 89. Her famous daughter, actress Laura Dern, confirmed the heartbreaking news on Monday, November 3, 2025.

'She Is Flying with Her Angels Now': The Farewell of a Silver Screen Legend

Dern released a heartfelt statement that honored not only her mother's legacy on screen, but also her spirit off it. "She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and [sic] empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created," Dern expressed. "We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now."

The "Jurassic Park" star offered no cause of death, focusing instead on the love and reverence that defined their relationship.

A Dazzling Career Marked by Brilliance, Boldness, and Biting Humor

Over the course of her storied career, Ladd was known as a performer of rare intensity and effortless timing — a gifted artist who moved seamlessly between television, film, and the stage.

Though many came to know her for her work later in life, her rise began long before her scene-stealing performance in Martin Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" in 1974, which earned her the first of three Academy Award nominations.

As Flo, the tough yet charismatic waitress, Ladd delivered a performance that became emblematic of her range — capable of biting humor, emotional depth, and raw vulnerability, often within the same breath.

Roles in "Chinatown," "Primary Colors," and David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" followed, the latter of which was particularly dear to her. Not only did she act opposite her daughter, but the film — which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1990 — allowed Ladd to stretch creatively, even going toe-to-toe with Lynch on the vision for her character.

Recalling one of their exchanges, she shared with Vulture in 2024, "One day, the script said that Marietta gets in bed, curls up with her baby dog, and is sucking her thumb. I looked at him and said, 'David, I don't want to do that.'"

What followed was a compromise only someone of Ladd's conviction could pull off — a glamorous nightgown, a martini in hand, and a hypnotic sway to music only her character could hear. "He said OK, I did it, and he loved it," she recalled.

Ladd's versatility carried across decades. On television, when she was in her 20s, she appeared in classics like "Perry Mason," "Gunsmoke," and "The Big Valley." She also later appeared on "ER" and "Touched by an Angel" and starred in "Alice," the spinoff of her breakthrough film. Her performances could be both haunting and heartwarming, always grounded in truth.

Even as she played scheming mothers, mournful lovers, or spiritual guides, Ladd's Southern roots and sharp instincts lent every role a certain sincerity that set her apart.

A Prophecy Fulfilled: Diane Ladd's Childhood Destiny and Hollywood Rise

Born Rose Diane Ladner in Laurel, Mississippi, she was told by her great-grandmother at a young age that she would one day stand "in front of a screen" and "command" audiences. Ladd believed in that prophecy — and lived it.

In her memoir "Spiraling Through the School of Life," she reflected on that early moment, one that stayed with her as she went from unknown ingénue to matriarch of one of Hollywood's most beloved acting families.

Ties to the arts ran deep: she was a second cousin to playwright Tennessee Williams, and her first husband — Dern's father — is himself an Academy Award nominee. Their union, and eventual divorce, was part of a tumultuous personal life that Ladd never shied away from addressing.

Of her first two husbands, including William A. Shea, Jr., she once told The New York Times in 1976 that neither of the two knew how to display love. Her third marriage, to author and former PepsiCo executive Robert Charles Hunter, brought a steadier chapter — one that lasted from 1999 until his death in August 2025.

In the end, it was in the quiet comfort of her home where Ladd drew her final breath. "My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Dianne Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, Calif," revealed Dern. A career filled with glamor, grit, and grace came to a peaceful close surrounded by love.

A Terminal Diagnosis That Changed Everything

But Ladd's extraordinary journey wasn't without its share of battles — one of the most daunting came several years before her passing, when she was dealt a grim prognosis. She was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and incurable lung disease.

Doctors, weighing the severity of her condition, warned that she might have no more than six months to live. For Dern, the news was devastating — but it also became a catalyst for something unexpectedly beautiful.

"The doctor told us the one thing that can help her is getting her to walk to breathe deeper," Dern divulged in a candid 2023 interview with People. And so began a series of slow, measured walks through Santa Monica — simple, quiet moments that would become transformative for both mother and daughter.

Healing Walks and Honest Talks

So they walked. Slowly. Side by side. Ladd on oxygen. Dern holding space. Step by step, they opened up in ways they never had before. During those walks, the two opened up about everything — their experiences as actors, the griefs they had carried, and the losses they had never fully unpacked.

From the end of Ladd's marriage to Dern's father to the death of their first child (Dern's late sister), nothing was off limits. The actress said that their talks "grew into a profound deepening" of their relationship.

For Dern, her mother's terrifying diagnosis in 2018 became a wake-up call — not only to Ladd's fragile health, but to the emotional distance that can exist even in the closest relationships.

Speaking to "Today" in 2023, Dern admitted, "I was shocked at how little I'd asked her. The hard stuff [...] But even the simple stuff. I've worked alongside my mother and yet never asked, 'Why did you want to become an actress?'"

Ladd had developed scarring on her lungs — a result of pesticide exposure in her Ventura County neighborhood. But rather than withdraw, the pair leaned into each other. At first painful, their walks quickly became deeply therapeutic.

"And she said that she really felt finally releasing some of the grief and challenges and heartbreak of her life, as well as us laughing over absurd fights and silly things we've been through was in fact so healing, physically and emotionally," Dern recalled.

The Book That Immortalized the Mother and Daughter's Journey

One of their first topics? Death. "She said, 'I'm not afraid of it.' She was afraid of leaving me, she was afraid of not being here to watch her grandchildren grow," Dern divulged.

By early 2019, Dern had started recording their talks — partly for her children, partly as a tribute. It grew into a book: "Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding)." Against all odds presented by her diagnosis, Ladd kept going. She filmed "Young Sheldon" in 2021 and completed two movies.

"They say they're practicing medicine, so I'm not going to believe one doctor, I'm going to go to several, and I'm going to keep fighting with alternative modalities and my daughter and I's love for each other," Ladd had previously stated. "All I know is, four years later, I made two movies, a TV show, and wrote a book." As they shared their story, they discovered it resonated.

"We saw that siblings and mother [sic] and fathers and sons and daughters, they were all having conversations they'd never had," Dern expressed.

Through daily talks, the two navigated joyful memories, painful regrets, and raw truths long unspoken. Dern asked her mother to open up about hard subjects, including the loss of her first child at 18 months old, and was surprised by the clarity and healing those discussions offered.

"I thought I was doing all this talking and reminiscing for my mother's sake, to give her peace and strength in her final months or years and to let her know how she'd shaped me and how grateful I was for her example," Dern wrote. "But I would come to learn that this time with her was a gift for me as well."

Ultimately, the recordings of those walks became the foundation of their book — a labor of love that both women had promoted together.

At a book event, Ladd, who was healthier at that time and credited with having been misdiagnosed, stood beside her daughter and declared, "I chose to live." She also called Dern her "angel" and credited her for saving her life.

Diane Ladd Still Glowed in Her Late 80s

Though those walks were born out of fear and uncertainty, they blossomed into something timeless — a testament to resilience, love, and the healing power of honesty. And as Ladd continued to defy expectations, not just in spirit but in presence, it wasn't long before the world took notice once again.

In May 2023, fellow A-lister Reese Witherspoon shared a beautiful Instagram carousel post spotlighting the time she spent with Ladd and Dern. Fans were pleased to see the veteran actress looking so good at 87 despite being ill.

One admirer said they had always been jealous of Ladd's "porcelain" skin. Meanwhile, another marveled at how terrific she looked for her age, and someone else commented that Ladd and Dern looked like sisters.

Many others were also stunned by Ladd's youthful appearance and praised her for looking wonderful even though she was nearing 90. Overall, fans were enamored with the photos of the trio.

At this time, we wish to extend our most heartfelt condolences to Laura Dern, her and Ladd's entire family, friends, community, loved ones, and all who knew and loved Ladd as they mourn such a significant loss. We hope for their healing amid their time of grief. RIP, dear Ladd.