Laura Dern is remembering her beloved mother, Diane Ladd, one year after the celebrated actress passed away.
On Tuesday, November 3, Dern, 59, shared a touching tribute on Instagram, posting a vintage black-and-white photograph of her mother from her younger years.
The image featured Ladd’s birth and death dates in the bottom-left corner: “November 29, 1935 – November 3, 2025.”
Dern accompanied the photograph with a short but deeply personal caption: “Light of my life.”
Several of the actress’s celebrity friends responded with messages of love and support.
The White Lotus actress Leslie Bibb commented, “❤️❤️❤️You @lauradern ❤️❤️❤️she was a queen,” while podcaster Cheryl Strayed wrote, “Your mom was so wonderful. Holding you both close in my heart, dear Laura.”
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Diane Ladd died at her home on November 3, 2025, at the age of 89, with her daughter Laura by her side. Her death came just weeks before what would have been her 90th birthday.
Throughout her remarkable career, Ladd received three Academy Award nominations and three Emmy nominations. Her extensive film and television credits included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the sitcom Alice, Wild at Heart, and Rambling Rose.
Mother and daughter also shared the screen on several occasions. Dern made a cameo appearance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and the two actresses appeared together in Rambling Rose.
Dern originally announced her mother’s death through a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
Laura credit: Dern/Instagram
“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.,” Dern said.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she continued. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Just hours before sharing her anniversary tribute on Tuesday, Dern also reflected on her mother’s experience with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
She explained that after Ladd received her diagnosis, she willingly took on the responsibility of caring for her mother. During National Family Caregivers Month, Dern said she was remembering the impact that experience had on her and how her mother continued embracing life despite the challenges of the disease.
“I happily stepped into the role of caregiver,” Dern shared, reflecting on how her mother had learned to live beyond the scars of IPF.
She also reaffirmed a promise she had made to Ladd: to continue raising awareness about the condition.
“I made a promise to her that I would continue to raise awareness about IPF, and I will continue to keep that promise,” Dern added, sharing a link to Beyond the Scars, an awareness campaign created in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, pulmonary fibrosis involves scarring of the lungs, which can make it difficult for them to expand and deliver enough oxygen to the body. The condition can be idiopathic, meaning its cause is unknown, or associated with autoimmune diseases, environmental exposures, or certain medications.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and terminal disease.
Earlier this year, Dern spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about the awareness campaign and her mother’s devastating diagnosis in 2018. When Ladd was first diagnosed, doctors reportedly gave her only three to six months to live.
IPF is among the most common forms of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Its cause is unknown, and its symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for those of other medical conditions. Ladd experienced those difficulties herself.
“She never wanted anyone to have to naively be in pain without answers. Just too much time was spent like that for both of us,” Dern told PEOPLE in January.
“Every caregiver has their own experience filled with fear and frustration. Looking for answers with an irreversible disease is quite a journey.”
Dern also spoke about her commitment to continuing her mother’s work and supporting other families facing similar diagnoses.
“I made a promise to my mom that I would continue to honor her legacy, and her commitment and service to teaching and advocating for other families going through an ILD,” she said at the time.
Two months before the anniversary tribute, Dern had also remembered what would have been her mother’s 90th birthday. On November 29, 2025, she shared another vintage black-and-white photograph of Ladd on Instagram.
“Happy birthday to my hero, the most extraordinary person I have ever known, on what would be her 90th today,” Dern wrote.
Through her emotional messages, Dern continues to celebrate her mother’s life, remember their close bond, and honor the legacy Diane Ladd left behind.
