“My other mother”: Reese Witherspoon pens touching tribute to Laura Dern’s mother Diane Ladd days after her death

According to a recent article by the Daily Mail, actress Reese Witherspoon recently posted a heart-warming tribute for Diane Ladd, days after her demise.

Witherspoon took to Instagram and posted throwback pictures of her and Ladd along with a caption:

"Oh Diane! What a beautiful spirit, filled with light, childlike creativity, and boundless ideas." Witherspoon wrote in the caption

She further continued "A born & bred storyteller from Mississippi your golden voice made every small moment feel like a remembered dream. You were my inspiration and my Other Mother. May all your angels welcome you home into a place of love & light,' before signing off, 'Til we meet again."

Reese Witherspoon first met Diane Ladd on the set of the series Big Little Lies, where she worked alongside Ladd's daughter, Laura Dern.

Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd died earlier this week in California. She rose to fame for portraying the role of Flo in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974).

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About Diane Ladd's demise

Renowned actress Diane Ladd recently passed away at the age of 89 in Ojai, California. On Monday, the news of her demise was confirmed by her daughter Laura in a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter.

'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'. Laura told Hollywood Reporter

"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." Laura concluded

Diane and Laura became the first mother-daughter duo to be nominated at the Academy Awards in 1992. Both Laura and Diane were nominated in the same year for Rambling Rose.

Diane was misdiagnosed with pneumonia in 2018 after breathing in toxic spray from a nearby farm, and she was given six months to live. Laura moved her to a different hospital since she wasn't happy with the diagnosis, and Diane recovered completely there.

The two went on long walks and filmed their conversations while she attempted to restore her health.

Diane was a three-time Academy Award nominee for her parts in Martin Scorsese's Wild at Heart (1990), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), and Rambling Rose (1991).

She appeared in over 300 movies and television series, including Kingdom Hospital, Stephen King's supernatural horror series from 2004.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), 28 Days (2000), Charlie's War (2003), and Joy (2015) are some of her noteworthy works. From 2016 to 2022, she portrayed Nell O'Brien in the Hallmark series Chesapeake Shores, which was her last television appearance.

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Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern's friendship

During an interview with People in October 2024, Laura Dern shared that she runs everything by her friend Reese Witherspoon. While speaking on a panel at the second Shine Away by Hello Sunshine, Laura revealed that Reese Witherspoon is perhaps the most important person in her network.

“What I learned from the four or five women who raised me who were actresses, who then became writers or producers or directors, was that there was no community, there was no inside without each other.”

“So I felt so lucky to have that lens and then to find sisterhood on this stage — and basically I run everything by Reese. From my romantic life all the way to what jobs I should do.” Laura mentioned

Reese Witherspoon and Diane had been close friends for a long time. The two often matched their outfits at events and spoke fondly of each other during interviews.