The cause of Diane Ladd's death has come to light, weeks after the three-time Oscar-nominated star of “Rambling Rose” and “Wild at Heart” died at age 89.
The actress died of “acute or chronic hypoxic respiratory failure,” according to her death certificate obtained by People. The Cleveland Clinic says the condition results from an insufficient amount of oxygen in a person's blood and is commonly caused by heart and lung conditions.
The death certificate reportedly notes that Ladd had the latter. Two years before his death, Ladd was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a disease in which “lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Esophageal dysmotility (disorders that affect the ability of the esophagus to transport food and fluids to a person's stomach) also contributed to Ladd's death, People reported.
Ladd was cremated on Nov. 10, a week after her death, according to the death certificate.
Laura Dern, Ladd's daughter with prolific Oscar-nominated actor Bruce Dern, announced her mother's death on Nov. 3: “My incredible hero and profound mothering gift, Diane Ladd, passed by my side this morning at her home in Ojai.”
“She was the best daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have created,” Dern, the Oscar-winning star of “Marriage Story,” said in her statement. “We were lucky to have her.”
Bruce Dern, the first of Ladd's three husbands, praised his ex-wife for her work on and off screen, including her long tenure as a member of the Screen Actors Guild board of directors.
“She was a great teammate to her fellow actors. She was funny, smart and kind,” he said. “But the most important thing for me is that she was a wonderful mother to our incredible prodigy daughter. And for that I will be forever grateful.”
A Mississippi native, Ladd was an enduring talent whose film career included more than 200 film and television credits from the 1960s to the 2020s, and multiple Emmy and Oscar nominations. She famously appeared in the 1974 feature film by director Martin Scorsese and writer Robert Getchell, “Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore,” originating the role of sarcastic roadhouse waitress Florence Jean “Flo” Castleberry.
When Ladd was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2023, he was told he might only have six months to live. This inspired Laura Dern to take her mother for a walk in Santa Monica, sparking intimate conversations that would become material for their joint book, “Honey, Baby, Mine,” published in April 2023.
“All the deep listening filled us with love,” Ladd told People amid the book's release. “And it was very healing.”
