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Meghan Ory is remembering her Chesapeake Shores co-star Diane Ladd. 

Ladd died November 3 at her home in Ojai, California, according to Deadline. She was 89. The three-time Oscar nominee was known for her roles in films such as Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (for which she received her first Academy Award nomination) and David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, which co-starred her daughter, Laura Dern. Her other movies include The Wild Angels, Chinatown, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Inland Empire. But for many Hallmark Channel viewers, she’ll be remembered for playing family matriarch Nell O’Brien on Chesapeake Shores

Chesapeake Shores starred Ory as Abby O’Brien, who returns to her coastal hometown after a painful divorce. Ladd portrayed Abby’s wise and nurturing grandmother, the father of Mick O’Brien (Treat Williams). The show aired from 2016 to 2022. 

In an Instagram post, Ory recalled working with Ladd. 

“Love you, Diane,” she wrote. “You had the best advice and the best stories. A true icon. Rest in peace my friend.”

“You will be greatly missed,” she added in her caption. 

Fellow Chesapeake Shores cast member Emilie Ullerup also remembered Ladd. 

“We lost a warrior today,” she wrote on her Instagram story. “Funny, wise, strong and full of light and life … rest easy my friend, you have earned it.”

In a statement, Dern, who was by her Ladd’s side when she died, called her mother an “amazing hero” and a “profound gift”

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” Dern told Deadline. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

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