Laura Dern issued an emotional statement after the death of her mother Diane Ladd, who is also an acclaimed actress.
Shortly after the 89-year-old Oscar nominee breathed her last earlier this week, the Big Little Lies alum confirmed the upsetting news.
"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.," the Jurassic Park actress mourned her loss in a statement to People on Monday, November 3.
"She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created," the Academy Award winner continued in a heartfelt tribute. "We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now."
Ladd shared a close yet complex bond with her daughter and was often vocal about trying to balance protection with independence while raising Laura.
"We suffered the tragedy of our daughter’s death together and thought another child would help us, but we were so bruised," Ladd once said, referencing the heartbreaking loss of her first daughter, Diane, who died in a swimming pool accident at just 18 months old.
The tragedy ultimately led to the end of Ladd’s marriage to actor Bruce Dern in 1969, after nine years together.
"I was terrified, being on my own with Laura. I had to force myself not to be overly protective because I had lost one child," she recalled. "The result was that it worked the other way. I allowed her to be a free thinker, and that helped her become her own person."
She was an active parent and a stunning actress. Throughout her illustrious career, Ladd earned critical acclaim for her roles in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (and its TV spinoff Alice), Wild at Heart, and Rambling Rose. She was nominated for three Academy Awards and three Emmys.