Thirty year old tea rose (Sweet Inspiration) is having issues. As shown in the photo, the crown and the trunk are severely cracking and half the crown is dead. Not sure if this is old age or something else this - natural death?
The rose is in northern California in the Bay Area facing East.
When was the last time this rose was pruned? There’s a ton of old growth and it’s badly in need of a rejuvenation prune. However there isn’t much to work with here since the canes are so old. You don’t have anything to lose with cutting it back severely since I don’t think it will survive much longer.
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Welcome to the forum. For sure prune out the dead, add compost, mulch and fertilizer it. Be consistent with watering it, and if you love it, perhaps, take some cuttings. What do you plan on fertilizing it with? Higher nitrogen fertilizer will help revitalize it. Organics like alfalfa pellets, Mills Magic Mix, Espoma Plant tone, Dr. Earth, combined with a controlled release fertilizer, like Osmocote plus will encourage new growth.