Two weeks after the passing of Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd, her cause of death has been confirmed as chronic hypoxic respiratory failure.
Ladd’s cause of death was listed on her death certificate, which was obtained and reviewed by People on Monday. The document noted that the celebrated actress died from acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure with contributing factors interstitial lung disease and esophageal dysmotility also cited. She was cremated Nov. 10.
The Cleveland Clinic notes hypoxic respiratory failure “happens when you don’t have enough oxygen in your blood,” highlighting that “heart and lung conditions are the most common causes.”
According to Ladd’s death certificate, she had interstitial lung disease prior to her passing.
Ladd, a prolific actress whose six-decade career included Oscar-nominated performances in “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and “Wild at Heart,” died at the age 89 while at her home in Ojai, Calif. on Nov. 3. Her daughter Laura Dern shared the news and remembered her as her “amazing hero” and “profound gift of a mother.”
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” Dern said in a statement at the time. “We were blessed to have her … She is flying with her angels now.”
Ladd’s ex-husband Bruce Dern also paid tribute to the actress in the aftermath of her passing. “Diane was a tremendous actress and I feel like, a bit of a ‘hidden treasure’ until she ran into David Lynch,” he noted. “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. 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.”
In addition to Dern, Ladd was also married to William Shea Jr. from 1969 to 1977, and to Robert Charles Hunter from 1999 until his death earlier this year.
