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Beloved actor Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79 in California.
Keaton’s friend said her health “declined very suddenly” in the months leading up to her death, People reports. Her family “chose to keep things very private,” and even some of her longtime friends “weren’t fully aware of what was happening,” her friend told the outlet.
Keaton rose to fame in the 1970s, and starred in classic films such as First Wives Club and Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia epic The Godfather.
Keaton played the role of Kay Adams-Corleone, a role which she reprised in The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III. She also enjoyed a decades-long collaboration with controversial director Woody Allen, and received an Academy Award for her role in Annie Hall in 1978.
Tributes have flooded in for the late actor from her friends and peers. Bette Midler, who starred with Keaton in The First Wives Club, described her as “brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary”, with Marvin’s Room actor Leonardo DiCaprio calling Keaton “one of a kind”.
She is survived by her two children, Dexter, 29, and Duke, 25. Her loved ones have “asked for privacy,” a family spokesperson told People.
Reese Witherspoon honoured one of her first mentors on stage in LA on Saturday (11 October).
“The thing I just loved about her is she was such an original,” she said.
Watch the full clip here…
Annabel Nugent12 October 2025 11:40
The actor’s last Instagram post before her death was a heartwarming tribute to her golden retriever Reggie on National Pet Day on 11 April.
Annabel Nugent12 October 2025 11:20
Tributes have been paid to the “brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary” actor Diane Keaton, best known for roles in Annie Hall and The Godfather, who died at the age of 79.
Keaton’s loved ones have asked for privacy after she died in California, a family spokesperson told People.
Keaton shot to fame in the 1970s with her role as Kay Adams in The Godfather, as well as her collaborations with Woody Allen.
Graig Graziosi12 October 2025 11:00
Diane Keaton is beloved for several roles across the ages, but it was her performance as Annie Hall in Woody Allen’s 1977 romantic-comedy that earned her an Oscar. The pair had begun dating in the Sixties, meeting on the set of his Broadway show Play it Again, Sam.
The controversial director is reportedly “extremely distraught and surprised and upset” about Keaton’s death, a source told People magazine exclusively, adding that “it makes him think of his own mortality”.
Woody Allen with Diane Keaton while they were dating (Getty Images)
Annabel Nugent12 October 2025 10:45
Woody Allen leans his head on the shoulder of Diane Keaton in a scene from ‘Love and Death,’ directed by Allen, 1975. (Getty Images)
FILE – Oscar winners Charles H. Joffe, winner of best picture for “Annie Hall,” left, and Diane Keaton, winner of best actress for “Annie Hall,” poses with presenter Jack Nicholson, and producer Jack Rollins at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on April 3, 1978. (AP Photo, File) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Goldie Hawn, from left, Diane Keaton, and Bette Midler appear at the premiere of their film “The First Wives Club” in Los Angeles on Sept.16, 1996. (AP Photo/ Frank Wiese, File) (AP1996)
Diane Keaton with Amanda Peet and Jack Nicholson in 2004 (AP2004)
Diane Keaton attends the Ralph Lauren Spring/Summer 2024 collection during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 8, 2023. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) (2023 Invision)
Graig Graziosi12 October 2025 10:20
Graig Graziosi12 October 2025 10:00
There are plenty of films in Diane Keaton’s oeuvre worthy of attention, but certainly a fan-favourite is 2003’s romantic-comedy Something’s Gotta Give.
“Keaton plays the scatterbrained Erica as focused, rational, sexy and a mess; it’s a complex performance that certainly tangles with loopy maximalism but isn’t overwhelmed by it. It earned her an Oscar nomination,” writes Adam White of the iconic role.
Amanda Peet, Jack Nicholson, and Diane Keaton – stars of ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ (AP2004)
Annabel Nugent12 October 2025 09:39
Robert De Niro, who worked with Keaton on The Godfather Part II and Marvin’s Room, said he was “very sad to hear of Diane’s passing”.
“I was very fond of her, and the news of her leaving us has taken me totally by surprise. I was not expecting her to leave us. She will be missed. May she rest in peace,” he told Deadline.
Diane Keaton, James Caan, Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, Talia Shire, Robert Duvall and Robert DeNiro take a bow on stage during the panel for ‘The Godfather’ 45th Anniversary Screening during 2017 Tribeca Film Festival closing night at Radio City Music Hall (Getty Images)
Annabel Nugent12 October 2025 09:25
For Diane Keaton, the concept of slowing down for anything or anyone was unthinkable, as she exemplified by pushing on relentlessly with her remarkable career well into her final years.
“I never understood the idea that you’re supposed to mellow as you get older,” Keaton told AARP in 2012. “Slowing down isn’t something I relate to at all. The goal is to continue in good and bad, all of it. To continue to express myself, particularly.”
The actor’s fierce independence and individuality was as evident in all aspects of her life, from her onscreen performances to her iconic androgynous wardrobe and eclectic habit of drinking red wine with ice. She remained grounded despite her immense fame, telling The Independent in 2015 that she took her fashion inspiration from “people off the street.”
Diane Keaton was a fiercely independent Hollywood icon
Despite her immense fame, having worked with other industry titans including Woody Allen, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson, the actress remained grounded, telling The Independent in 2015 that she took her inspiration from ‘people off the street’
Graig Graziosi12 October 2025 09:20
Saturday Night Live recognised Diane Keaton with a special tribute in the second episode of its 51st season.
The sketch show honoured the actor with a tribute card at the end of the episode. The photograph showed Keaton grinning, wearing her signature collared shirt and tie.
Annabel Nugent12 October 2025 09:15