Diane Ladd’s cause of death has been revealed, two weeks after the star’s shock passing aged 89.
Ladd, who was a multiple Oscar-nominee and mom of Laura Dern, died November 3 as result of acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, per a death certificate obtained by People.
Respiratory failure, according to the Cleveland Clinic, occurs when ‘there’s not enough oxygen or too much carbon dioxide in your body;’ acute respiratory failure, like Ladd had, is considered ‘life-threatening.’
The condition can occur in a sudden or gradual manner, according to the clinic, and is the result of multiple underlying conditions. People who believe they are experiencing respiratory failure are advised to seek emergency medical services immediately.
Ladd also dealt with underlying ailments such as interstitial lung disease; and esophageal dysmotility, the magazine reported. Ladd’s remains had been cremated one week after her death, on November 7, authorities said.
Laura Dern said in a November 3 statement that her mother had died that ‘morning, at her home in Ojai, California,’ with her at her bedside; she called Ladd ‘my amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother.’
The Oscar-winning actress, 58, added: ‘She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created.
‘We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.’
Diane Ladd’s cause of death has been revealed, two weeks after the star’s shock passing aged 89.; seen in 2023 with Laura Dern in NYC
Ladd beamed at a 2014 event at the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences in LA
Laura had past dedicated one of the biggest moments of her career to her parents, Ladd and actor Bruce Dern – as she captured her first Academy Award in February of 2020.
‘Some say never meet your heroes, but I say if you’re really blessed, you get them as your parents,’ said Laura, who brought her mother to the award show.
She added, ‘I share this with my acting heroes, my legends, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern.
Laura, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Nora Fanshaw in Marriage Story, wrapped up in saying, ‘You got game – I love you.’
In the wake of her death, her ex-husband Bruce Dern shared a poignant tribute.
‘She lived a good life,’ the two-time Oscar nominee, 89, told Us Weekly in a statement November 3. ‘She saw everything the way it was.’
Bruce called Diane – who he was wed to from 1960 to 1969 – ‘funny, clever, gracious’ and ‘a great teammate to her fellow actors.’
The Nebraska actor added, ‘But most importantly to me, she was a wonderful mother to our incredible wunderkind daughter. And for that I will be forever grateful to her.’
Her ex Bruce Dern shared kind words about his late ex-wife upon news of her death. Pictured with daughter Laura Dern in 2010 in LA
Laura had her mom on hand as she captured her first Oscar in February of 2020
Laura had past dedicated one of the biggest moments of her career to her parents, Ladd and actor Bruce Dern – as she captured her first Academy Award
Dern said Ladd was ‘a decades-long board member of SAG’ who provided ‘a real actress’ point of view.’
Bruce, who has worked with Quentin Tarantino on films such as 2015’s The Hateful Eight and 2019’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, said he felt Diane’s star shined brightest working with late auteur David Lynch.
‘Diane was a tremendous actress and I feel like, a bit of a “hidden treasure” until she ran into David Lynch,’ Bruce said.
The Great Gatsby star cited Diane’s performance as Marietta Fortune in the 1990 Lynch film Wild at Heart opposite her daughter Laura Dern – as well as Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe – as a breakout performance.
‘When he cast her as Laura’s mom in Wild at Heart it felt like the world then really understood her brilliance,’ Bruce said.
During their marriage, they tragically lost a one-year-old daughter named Diane in 1962 following a drowning accident.
Diane, in her joint 2023 book with daughter Laura titled Honey, Baby, Mine, candidly discussed how the tragedy impacted her marriage.
‘If you lose a child, it’s very hard to cope,’ Ladd said. ‘We were struggling actors. We could hardly make it.
Bruce said he felt Diane’s star shined brightest working with late auteur David Lynch
Bruce said his ex-wife ‘was a wonderful mother to our incredible wunderkind daughter’
‘We had to stay in the same house where she died because we couldn’t afford to leave. His family could have helped us, but they didn’t.’
Bruce and Diane had appeared in motion pictures together including 2009’s American Cowslip; 1995’s Mrs. Munck; 1970’s The Rebel Rousers; and 1966’s The Wild Angels.
Bruce, Ladd and Laura were the first trio of relatives to be awarded stars at the same time on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 1, 2010.
‘I ask the universe that these three stars right here – when I’m dead and gone or if I’m still alive – that whoever comes and looks at it or stands on it, may the energy of the three of our lives permeate into their foundation and help each and every one fulfill their destiny with joy and love, as I wish for you,’ Ladd said as she accepted the honors, according to People.
