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Diane Keaton, the cherished actress known for her performances in classics like the “Godfather” series and “Annie Hall,” has passed away at 79, her daughter confirmed to NBC News.
Dexter Keaton said the family is looking for privacy and had no further comment.
Diane Keaton, known for her wit, humor and sparkling charm, was a longtime Hollywood star with a career spanning six decades.
Keaton was awarded an Oscar for her role in the romantic comedy “Annie Hall” directed by Woody Allen in 1977. Her talent earned her additional nominations for her roles in “Reds,” “Marvin’s Room,” and “Something’s Gotta Give.”
Originally from Los Angeles, she pursued drama studies at Santa Ana College before relocating to New York to chase her acting dreams. Her breakthrough came in Woody Allen’s Broadway production, “Play It Again, Sam,” in 1968, which set her on the path to becoming a star, as per IMDb.
Her first major big-screen roles came in 1972 with the film “Play It Again, Sam” and as Kay ams in the iconic film “The Godfather.”
Keaton was prolific on the big screen, cementing a name for herself by starring in some of Hollywood’s most beloved films.
She portrayed Nina Banks, the wife of Steve Martin’s character George Banks, in the 1991 film “Father of the Bride” and its 1995 sequel. In 1996, she starred alongside Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in “The First Wives Club,” playing Annie MacDuggan Paradis. She also shone in Nancy Meyers’ 2003 romantic comedy “Something’s Gotta Give” with Jack Nicholson.
Keaton was also adored for her role in the 2018 comedy “Book Club,” which explored the lively tales of four lifelong friends played by Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen.
Despite never marrying, Keaton had high-profile relationships with Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, and Al Pacino.
Reflecting on her romantic life, she told People magazine in 2019: [“I’m not sad] because I think that I needed more of a maternal aspect. … “I don’t think it would have been a good idea for me to have married, and I’m really glad I didn’t, and I’m sure they’re happy about it, too.”
“I’m an odd ball,” she told the magazine. “I remember one day in high school, this guy came up to me and said, ‘One day you’re going to make a good wife.’ And I thought, ‘I don’t want to be a wife. No.’”
She is survived by her two children, daughter Dexter and son Duke, whom she adopted when she was in her 50s, according to the magazine.
Tributes poured in for the star on Saturday.
Midler remembered her former co-star as “brilliant, beautiful and extraordinary.”
“I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me. She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!” Midler wrote on Instagram.
“Father of the Bride” co-star Kimberly Williams Paisley wrote on Instagram: “Diane, working with you will always be one of the highlights of my life. You are one of a kind, and it was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time.”
“Book Club” co-star Steenburgen remembered Keaton as “magic.”
“There was no one, nor will there ever be, anyone like her. I loved her and felt blessed to be her friend. My love to her family. What a wonder she was!!!” she said in a statement.
Fellow “Book Club” co-star Fonda said in a statement: “It’s hard to believe … or accept … that Diane has passed. She was always a spark of life and light, constantly giggling at her own foibles, being limitlessly creative … in her acting, her wardrobe, her books, her friends, her homes, her library. Unique is what she was. And, though she didn’t know it or wouldn’t admit it, man she was a fine actress!”
Ben Stiller honored Keaton as “one of the greatest film actors ever.”
Kate Hudson shared a clip from “The First Wives Club” on Instagram with the caption: “We love you so much Diane.”
Actor Viola Davis wrote on Instagram: “No!! No!!! No!! God, not yet, NO!!! Man… you defined womanhood. The pathos, humor, levity, your ever-present youthfulness and vulnerability — you tattooed your SOUL into every role, making it impossible to imagine anyone else inhabiting them. You were undeniably, unapologetically YOU!!! Loved you.”
