Robert Charles Hunter died in August, three months before Laura Dern confirmed that his wife, Diane Ladd, died at age 89<\/b>
\nDiane Ladd\u2019s death came three months after the passing of husband Robert Charles Hunter.
Hunter\u2019s family announced to The Hollywood Reporter in August that the former CEO of PepsiCo Food Systems died in Fort Worth, Texas, while visiting his children. He was 77 and survived by Ladd, stepdaughter Laura Dern and his children, Brandon, Amy and Emily.
While honoring Hunter\u2019s life, his family noted that he wrote the 2008 novel Curious Journey: Origins and 2011\u2019s Curious Journey: Energy, which \u201ctapped into his intellect and curiosity about the world.\u201d
\u201cRobert always loved Texas,\u201d the statement read. \u201cThe wide skies, the bold spirit and the warmth of Fort Worth were part of his soul. Returning home brought him peace and joy \u2014 a feeling he often described as \u2018like coming back to the rhythm of my heart.\u2019\u201d
Hunter tied the knot with Ladd in 1999. The couple cofounded Ojai-based Exxcell Entertainment in 1999 and collaborated in 2006\u2019s Inland Empire, which also featured Dern.
Three months after Hunter\u2019s death, Ladd\u2019s daughter and actress Dern shared the news of her passing. She was 89.
\u201cMy amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, California,\u201d Dern, 58, wrote in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, November 3.
The tribute continued, \u201cShe 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.\u201d
A cause of death was not immediately shared.
Ladd shared Laura with Bruce Dern, whom she was married to from 1960 to 1969. The exes also shared daughter Diane, who died at 18 months after a drowning accident in 1962. The Oscar-nominated actress went on to marry William A. Shea Jr. in 1969 before splitting in 1976.
Ladd\u2019s death came years after Laura revealed that her mother had been given six months to live in 2019 following a health scare with her lungs.
\u201cShe was exposed to pesticides being sprayed in the neighborhood and was not notified and realized that she had scarring on her lungs,\u201d Laura explained during an appearance on Today in April 2023. \u201cAnd they said, \u2018If you can get her walking, expand her lung capacity, maybe it will help.\u2019\u201d
The mother-daughter duo would take walks to aid Ladd\u2019s recovery. Laura went on to record the conversations shared during those walks so that her kids could hear their chats. (Laura shares children Ellery, 24, and Jaya, 20, with ex-husband Ben Harper. The twosome were married from 2005 before calling it quits in 2013.)
\u201cI was shocked at how little I\u2019d asked her,\u201d Laura said. \u201cThe hard stuff, because I thought, \u2018Oh, I don\u2019t want to bring it up and hurt her.\u2019 But even the simple stuff. I\u2019ve been raised by an actor, I\u2019ve worked alongside my mother, and yet I\u2019d never asked, \u2018Why did you want to become an actress? \u2026 What was the first movie that ever inspired you? What\u2019s your favorite color?\u2019\u201d
The pair ultimately teamed up to write their book, Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding), after Ladd recovered.
\u201cIt was the beginning of 2019 that we started these walks, and they said, \u2018Your mother will never be here in six months,\u2019\u201d Laura continued. \u201cBut from walking and not believing, as my mom said to [Hoda Kotb], \u2018They say they\u2019re practicing medicine, so I\u2019m not going to believe one doctor, I\u2019m going to go to several and I\u2019m going to keep fighting with alternative modalities and my daughter and I\u2019s love for each other.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n