Diane Ladd's Death Cause Confirmed as Respiratory Failure

Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd died on November 3 at her home in Ojai, California, at the age of 89, and her cause of death has now been confirmed as acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, according to a death certificate.

The document, obtained two weeks after her passing, lists interstitial lung disease, which Ladd had suffered from for years, as a primary contributing factor. Esophageal dysmotility was noted as another significant condition. Hypoxic respiratory failure occurs when the lungs fail to provide sufficient oxygen to the blood, often stemming from underlying heart or lung issues, medical experts explain. Ladd was cremated on November 10.

Her daughter, actress Laura Dern, announced the death on the same day it occurred, revealing that she had been at her mother's bedside. "My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, California," Dern said in a statement. "She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created. We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now."