The cause of death has been revealed for Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actress Diane Ladd. According to a death certificate obtained by People, Ladd died as a result of acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, a condition where the lungs cannot provide enough oxygen to the blood.
The publication also reported the certificate noted that Ladd had an interstitial lung disease, which had been going on for years. Another contributing factor was esophageal dysmotility.
The 89-year-old Ladd died Nov. 3 at her home in Ojai, CA, according to her daughter, Laura Dern, who was at her bedside.Â
Ladd is best known for her memorable turns in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Roman Polanski’s Chinatown and David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, among others.
She portrayed Ida Sessions in Chinatown, a pivotal character who helps lead Jack Nicholson’s Jake Giddes to the truth behind the murder of Hollis Mulwray — the film’s central mystery.
Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination. In it, she defined the Southern crackerjack Flo, a waitress who works alongside Ellen Burstyn’s Alice. The later role was played by Polly Holliday in the TV sitcom Alice.
Her second Oscar nomination was for the role of Marietta in Lynch’s Wild At Heart (1990). In the film, Ladd plays Marietta, Lula’s vengeful mother who hires a hitman to kill Sailor, played by Nicolas Cage, after the duo runs off together. Lynch’s film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes that year.
Her third Oscar nomination came for Rambling Rose (1991), in which she co-starred along with Robert Duval, Lucas Haas and Dern.Â
Ladd’s other memorable film work includes holiday favorite Christmas Vacation (1989), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Primary Colors (1998), 28 Days (2000) and Joy (2015).
She starred in dozens more films and television shows, including Stephen King’s 15-hour 2004 ABC miniseries, Kingdom Hospital, playing psychic Mrs. Druse.
More recently, she was seen in Lifetime’s Movie of the Week Montana Sky and in the film The World’s Fastest Indian co-starring Anthony Hopkins.
Ladd made her directing and writing debut with the 1995 film Mrs. Munck, starring Bruce Dern, Kelly Preston, the late Shelley Winters and herself.