Diane Ladd’s cause of death has been revealed two weeks after the Oscar-nominated actress died on Nov. 3 at the age of 89.
Ladd, who was “Jurassic Park” star Laura Dern’s mother, died from acute chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, according to a death certificate obtained by People on Monday.
Respiratory failure occurs when there’s not enough oxygen or too much carbon dioxide in the body, per the Cleveland Clinic. It can happen all at once (acute) or come on over time (chronic), and is most often the result of a lung condition.
The certificate noted that the “Chinatown” actress suffered from interstitial lung disease for years before her death, and esophageal dysmotility was listed as another significant factor contributing to her passing.
Ladd was cremated on Nov. 10, according to her death certificate.
Laura, whom Ladd shared with ex-husband Bruce Dern, announced the “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” star’s death in a statement on Nov. 3.
“My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, California,” Laura, 58, began.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” the “Blue Velvet” actress added. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Ladd earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” in 1974.
She was later nominated two more times in the same category for “Wild at Heart” (1990) and “Rambling Rose” (1991) – two movies she also happened to star in with her famous daughter.
Besides earning three Oscar nods throughout her more than six-decade acting career, Ladd also earned three Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination as well.
Bruce Dern, 89, later remembered his ex-wife with a touching tribute following the news of her passing.
The pair married in 1960 and welcomed daughters Diane and Laura before divorcing in 1969.
Diane tragically passed away in a swimming pool accident at 18 months old, and her death led to Ladd and Bruce’s split after nine years of marriage.
“Diane was a tremendous actress and I feel like, a bit of a ‘hidden treasure’ until she ran into David Lynch,” the “Nebraska” star said in a statement. “When he cast her as Laura‘s mom in ‘Wild at Heart’ it felt like the world then really understood her brilliance.”
“She was a great value as a decades-long board member of SAG, giving a real actress’ point of view,” he continued. “She lived a good life. She saw everything the way it was. She was a great teammate to her fellow actors. She was funny, clever, gracious.”
Bruce concluded his tribute by thanking Ladd for being a “wonderful” mom to their daughter Laura.
“But most importantly to me, she was a wonderful mother to our incredible wunderkind daughter,” the “Great Gatsby” star concluded. “And for that I will be forever grateful to her.”
Ladd tied the knot with William A. Shea Jr. shortly after her split from Bruce. The pair divorced eight years later in 1976.
The “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” star went on to marry her third husband, Robert Charles Hunter, in 1999. The couple stayed married until Hunter’s death in July 2025 at age 77.
