Bruce Dern is honoring the memory of his late ex-wife, legendary actress Diane Ladd, with a moving tribute following her passing at age 89. “Diane was a tremendous actress and I feel like, a bit of a ‘hidden treasure’ until she ran into David Lynch,” Dern, 89, shared in a statement to Us Weekly on November 3.
“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.”
GettyLadd’s daughter, actress Laura Dern, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that her mother had died peacefully at her home in Ojai, California. Her cause of death has not been publicly revealed.
With his heartfelt words, Dern honored not only Ladd’s remarkable career but also her remarkable spirit as an artist, mother, and advocate for fellow actors.
‘She Was a Wonderful Mother’
GettyIn his statement, Dern reflected on Ladd’s grace, humor, and deep devotion to her family. “She lived a good life,” he said.
“She saw everything the way it was. She was a great teammate to her fellow actors. She was funny, clever, gracious. But most importantly to me, she was a wonderful mother to our incredible wunderkind daughter. And for that I will be forever grateful to her.”
Dern and Ladd were married from 1960 to 1969 and shared two daughters: Laura and Diane.
Their firstborn, Diane, tragically died in 1962 after a drowning accident at just 18 months old, a loss that would shape both parents profoundly.
A Life Marked by Love & Resilience
GettyLadd spoke candidly about the heartbreak of losing her first child in her memoir Honey, Baby, Mine. “If you lose a child, it’s very hard to cope,” she wrote.
“We were struggling actors. We could hardly make it. We had to stay in the same house where she died because we couldn’t afford to leave. His family could have helped us, but they didn’t.”
Ladd later married William A. Shea Jr. from 1969 to 1977 and found lasting love with Robert Charles Hunter, whom she married on Valentine’s Day in 1999. The couple remained together until Hunter died in 2023.
A Family Etched in Hollywood History
GettyDespite their divorce, Ladd and Dern stayed close and even shared the screen multiple times, including in “The Wild Angels,” “The Rebel Rousers,” “Mrs. Munck,” and “American Cowslip.”
In 2010, Ladd, Dern, and their daughter, Laura, made history as the first family to receive adjoining stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
At the ceremony, Ladd’s acceptance speech captured her signature grace and gratitude.
“I ask the universe that these three stars right here — when I’m dead and gone or if I’m still alive — that whoever comes and looks at it or stands on it, may the energy of the three of our lives permeate into their foundation and help each and every one fulfill their destiny with joy and love,” she said.
The Dern couple are very talented character actor that made stars like Clint Eastwood look good. A real Hollywood family.