A cause of death has been released for Diane Ladd, the Oscar-nominated actress and mother of fellow actress Laura Dern.
Ladd, who was 89 at the time of her Nov. 3 death, died of “acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure,” according to a death certificate obtained by People magazine.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, respiratory failure is a condition when “there’s not enough oxygen or too much carbon dioxide” in a person’s body. The health issue can occur acutely (all at once) or chronically (gradually over time).
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Ladd and Dern for comment.
Ladd had been suffering from interstitial lung disease in the years leading up to her death, the actress’s death certificate noted, per People. Additionally, esophageal dysmotility, a type of digestive disorder, was listed as a significant contributing condition to her death.
Ladd, who died at her home in Ojai, California, was cremated on Nov. 10, People reported.
Laura Dern mourns mother Diane Ladd’s death
Born in Laurel, Mississippi, Ladd got her start acting in the late 1950s on TV crime series such as “Decoy” and “Naked City.” She worked steadily for the next decade before finding big-screen success as prostitute Ida Sessions in Roman Polanski’s classic film noir “Chinatown” in 1974, and as Chevy Chase’s exceedingly proud mom in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” in 1989.
Ladd married actor Bruce Dern in 1960 and divorced nine years later. They had two daughters, Laura and Diane, and the latter died at just 18 months old after a tragic pool accident. The mother-daughter duo worked together in films and TV shows such as dark comedy “Wild at Heart,” period drama “Rambling Rose,” David Lynch’s surreal “Inland Empire” and the HBO dramedy “Enlightened.”
Dern shared news of her mom’s death on Nov. 3 in an emotional statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning,” Dern, 58, said. “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.”
Contributing: Brendan Morrow and Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY
