Diane Ladd’s ex-husband Bruce Dern has shared a heartbreaking tribute to the iconic actress after her death.
Three-time Oscar nominee Diane - who is the mother of actress Laura Dern - died aged 89 on Monday at her home in Ojai, California.
Bruce, who was married to Diane from 1960 to 1969, revealed he will be “forever grateful” to the “brilliant” star in a devastating statement.
“Diane was a tremendous actress,” the 89-year-old Great Gatsby star told People.
“[She was] a bit of a ‘hidden treasure’ until she ran into David Lynch. When he cast her as Laura’s mom in Wild at Heart it felt like the world then really understood her brilliance.”
Diane starred with daughter Laura, now 58, in Wild at Heart in 1990, playing a mother-daughter duo in a role that earned her an Oscar nomination.
They also co-starred in Lynch’s 1991 film Rambling Rose and the experimental project Inland Empire.
Bruce went on: “She was a great value as a decades long board member of [SAG-AFTRA], giving a real actress’ point of view.
“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.”
He concluded his tribute by saying: “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.”
Bruce, the first of Diane’s three husbands, met her in a production of Orpheus Descending in New York City when they were first starting out in their careers.
In addition to Laura, they had a daughter, Diane, who died aged 18 months in a swimming pool accident.
The couple split two months after welcoming Laura in 1967.
Big Little Lies star Laura confirmed Diane’s death in a statement on Monday.
"My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning," she said, adding that her final moments were spent at home in California.
The duo shared a close bond, with Laura bringing Diane as her date to the Oscars in 2020.
At the ceremony, she won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Marriage Story - her third Oscar nomination to date.
Diane earned Oscar nominations herself for her supporting performances in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose.
