Updated-
Diane Ladd’s cause of death has been officially confirmed. The beloved actress, who died on Monday, Nov. 3 at age 89, passed away from acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, according to a death certificate obtained by PEOPLE on Nov. 17.
Hypoxic respiratory failure occurs when the body doesn’t receive enough oxygen, often due to an underlying lung issue. In Ladd’s case, the document states she had interstitial lung disease, a long-term condition that had affected her for years. The certificate also lists esophageal dysmotility as a significant contributing factor.
Ladd was cremated on Nov. 10, according to the record.
Diane Ladd, the acclaimed actress and beloved mother of Laura Dern, has passed away at the age of 89.
In a heartfelt statement shared with PEOPLE on Monday, Nov. 3, Laura Dern said her mother died peacefully that morning at her home in Ojai, California.
“My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, Calif.”
She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” her daughter added. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Diane Ladd was an acclaimed American actress, director, and writer whose career spanned more than six decades across film, television, and theater. Born on November 29, 1935, in Meridian, Mississippi, she became one of Hollywood’s most respected character actresses, known for her emotional depth, Southern charm, and commanding presence.
Ladd began her acting career on stage before transitioning to film and television in the 1950s. She gained widespread recognition for her Academy Award–nominated performance as Flo in the 1974 classic Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a role that later inspired the hit TV series Alice. She went on to earn two more Oscar nominations for Wild at Heart (1990) and Rambling Rose (1991), the latter co-starring her daughter, Laura Dern. Their performances in Rambling Rose made them the first mother-daughter duo to be nominated for Academy Awards in the same year.
Throughout her career, Ladd appeared in more than 150 film and television projects, including Chinatown, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Primary Colors, and Joy. She also earned multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe for her role in the TV series Alice.
Off-screen, Ladd was admired for her warmth, spirituality, and advocacy for the arts. She frequently collaborated with her daughter Laura Dern, with whom she shared a deeply loving bond that she often described as her greatest joy. The two co-authored the 2023 book Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding), chronicling their candid conversations and mutual admiration.
