Diane Ladd, Star of “Rambling Rose” and Mom to Laura Dern, Dies at 89

The Hollywood icon, who rose to fame in the 1970s, passed away just weeks before her 90th birthday. Her bereaved daughter confirmed the tragic news in a statement.

Diane Ladd, star of "Rambling Roses" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," has died. The actress passed away on Monday morning, November 3, 2025. She was 89. Her daughter, actress Laura Dern, confirmed her death.

"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.," the 58-year-old said in a statement obtained by People.

"She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created," she added. "We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now."

Born on November 29, 1935, in Laurel, Mississippi, Diane was the only child of veterinarian Preston Paul Ladner and actress Mary Bernadette Ladner. She began singing, acting, and dancing at a young age.

When she started working in Hollywood in the 1950s, she shortened her last name to Ladd. Her first onscreen role was a 1957 episode of the drama series, "The Big Story." She went on to appear in several TV shows, including "Perry Mason," "Mr. Novak," and "The Fugitive."

She made her film debut in the 1966 crime drama "The Wild Angels," starring alongside what would become some of her longtime friends, including Nancy Sinatra, Peter Fonda, and her ex-husband Bruce Dern.

When Peter passed away in 2019, the actress remembered her friend fondly and looked back on their days on the set of their first film together. "I remember when we were filming Wild Angels, my very first film, we were practically children back then," Diane said.

She went on to recall one particular night that stuck with her while they were shooting. "It was a foggy night, and some bikers came up the mountain and threatened to tie Peter and another crew member to a generator," she shared.

"[But] Peter and Bruce Dern protected us and led us all to safety. His courage always shined through like that," she continued. The pair would work together again for what became the final time in the 2019 war docudrama, "The Last Full Measure."

Eight years after "The Wild Angels" was released, Diane starred in Martin Scorsese's 1974 comedy-drama, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." Her performance in the film earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

She then reprised her role in the CBS spinoff series, "Alice," for which she was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series in 1981. Diane went on to appear in over 200 films and TV shows in her career, including "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "General Hospital," and "28 Days."

Notably, in 1990, she starred for the first time alongside her daughter, Laura, in 1990's "Wild At Heart." Her performance earned her another Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The following year, she and Laura worked together again in 1991's "Rambling Rose."

The pair played an onscreen mother-daughter duo in the coming-of-age period drama, and both received Academy Award nominations — Laura for best actress and Diane for best supporting actress — for their roles.

They worked together again in 1996's "Citizen Ruth," 2006's "Inland Empire," and the HBO series "Enlightened." Diane married three times in her life, first to Laura's father, Bruce, then to William A. Shea Jr.

The actress was most recently married to Robert Charles Hunter. The couple had met in Sedona, Arizona, and tied the knot on Valentine's Day in 1999. Robert passed away just three months before Diane's death, on July 31, 2025. He was 77.