Laura Dern is honoring her late mother, Diane Ladd, through personal advocacy and public tributes following Ladd’s passing in November 2025 at age 89.
Advocacy for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Dern has launched the ‘Beyond the Scars’ campaign in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim to raise awareness about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the lung disease that claimed her mother’s life. Ladd was diagnosed with IPF in 2018 and initially given only three to six months to live, but she survived over seven years.Despite being one of the more common forms of interstitial lung disease, IPF is frequently misdiagnosed or missed entirely, delaying critical care.
Dern has spoken candidly about her family’s experience with the disease, noting that “My mom never wanted anyone to naively be in pain without answers” and that they “spent too much time in that space of fear and uncertainty.”As a caregiver, she initially experienced shock and despair after the diagnosis but found solace in medical guidance and shared activities—including walks that became meaningful moments of connection and resilience.
Personal Tributes
Dern announced her mother’s death with a heartfelt statement: “My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, Ca.” She later shared a birthday tribute on what would have been Ladd’s 90th birthday, describing her as “the most extraordinary person I have ever known” and celebrating her legacy as an artist and compassionate human.
Shared Creative Legacy
Two years before her death, mother and daughter published Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding), a book that grew from conversations during their therapeutic walks after the IPF diagnosis.The work explores themes of love, death, marriage, art, and legacy—reflections that now serve as an enduring record of their bond.
