Laura Dern Opens Up About Her Grief After Losing Legendary Mom Diane Ladd

Laura Dern is speaking candidly about her grief one month after the death of her mother, Diane Ladd. The 58-year-old actress reflected on Ladd and her father, Bruce Dern, while promoting her new films “Is This Thing On?” and “Jay Kelly.”

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published December 10, Laura said she worried about stepping back into press commitments so soon after losing her mother. “I thought, ‘This is going to be hard because I’m going to have to talk about my parents,’” she said.

“Then I thought, ‘They are my muses, my guides, my teachers. I’ve never done an interview without talking about my parents, and that will be the case for the rest of my life.’ ”

Diane Ladd’s Legacy & Final Days

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Laura announced Ladd’s death on November 3. In a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter, Dern wrote:

“My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, Calif.,” she wrote.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist, and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created.”

Ladd, a three-time Academy Award nominee, died at 89 from acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, according to her death certificate. She was cremated on November 10.

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Across her decades-long career, Ladd became a defining presence in American film and television.

Her credits included “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” later adapted into the sitcom “Alice,” as well as “Wild at Heart” and “Rambling Rose.”

She and Laura shared the screen for the first time when Laura was only 7, appearing as an extra in “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”

They went on to co-star in beloved films including “Wild at Heart,” “Rambling Rose” and “Citizen Ruth.”

A Mother-Daughter Bond Rooted in Art & Healing

Laura and Ladd grew even closer after Ladd was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. Their long walks and conversations during her treatment became the foundation of their 2023 joint memoir, Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding).

Laura told People last year that the project brought unexpected healing. “All the deep listening filled us with love, and it was very healing,” she said.

On November 29, Laura honored what would have been her mother’s 90th birthday with a black-and-white photo and a tribute.

“Happy birthday to my hero, the most extraordinary person I have ever known,” she wrote. “As an artist and human being, you were always loving, always dreaming, always creating, and ever in service for all. I love you, Mom.”

Bruce Dern & Diane Ladd’s Influence Lives On

Ladd and Bruce Dern, who were married from 1960 to 1969, shaped Laura’s path long before she found her footing in Hollywood.

Both were celebrated performers, and Laura says she still carries their influence with her every day. As she promotes her new films and learns to move through life without her mother, Laura’s sentences make even more sense—their presence remains steady and grounding, a source of comfort and inspiration.

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