Al Pacino has opened up about the passing of his former partner and co-star from “The Godfather,” Diane Keaton.

The esteemed actress, known for her role as Kay Adams alongside Pacino’s Michael Corleone in the iconic mafia series, passed away on Saturday at the age of 79 after battling pneumonia.

Pacino, who had an intermittent romantic relationship with Keaton from 1974 to 1990, expressed his grief in a heartfelt tribute. He took some time to come to terms with the loss while working in Paris, as reported by Deadline.

“I am deeply saddened by Diane Keaton’s passing,” he shared in a statement released on Thursday evening.

Pacino continued, “When I first heard the news, I was shaken. Diane was my partner, my friend, someone who brought joy into my life and influenced its course on more than one occasion.”

“Though it has been over thirty years since we were together, the memories remain vivid. With her passing, they have resurfaced with an intensity that is both painful and moving,” he concluded.

Al Pacino has broken his silence on the death of his former love and Godfather co-star Diane Keaton; (pictured September 2025)

Pacino — who shared an on-and-off romance with Keaton from 1974 to 1990 — poured his heart out in a moving tribute after taking a few days to process the devastating loss while filming in Paris; (pictured 1989)

‘I am deeply saddened by Diane Keaton’s passing,’ he wrote in the message shared with the outlet on Thursday night; (1972’s The Godfather)

Pacino went on to praise Keaton’s boundless spirit, reflecting on the way she ‘lived without limits, and everything she touched carried her unmistakable energy.’

He also honored her screen presence, writing that she was ‘magnetic—lightning and charm, hurricanes and tenderness. She was a wonder.’

‘Acting was her art,’ the Dog Day Afternoon star continued, ‘but it was only one of the many ways she expressed her imagination and creativity.’

Pacino ended his tribute with words that cut straight to the heart: ‘People will miss her, but more than that, they will remember her. She left a mark that cannot fade. She was unstoppable, resilient and above all, deeply human.

‘I will always remember her. She could fly — and in my heart, she always will.’

The sweet message comes after Pacino was seen for the first time since the heartbreaking death.

He was photographed arriving at LAX on Monday with his ex-girlfriend Noor Alfallah, looking somber as he made his way through the terminal. 

A close friend of the actor told the Daily Mail this week that Pacino will ‘forever regret’ not staying with Keaton. “For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, ‘if it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over.’ But sadly, now it is,” the insider shared.

He continued, ‘When I first heard the news, I was shaken. Diane was my partner, my friend, someone who brought me happiness and on more than one occasion influenced the direction of my life’

‘Though over thirty years has past since we were together, the memories remain vivid, and with her passing, they have returned with a force that is both painful and moving,’ (pictured 1989)

Pacino ended his tribute with words that cut straight to the heart: ‘People will miss her, but more than that, they will remember her. She left a mark that cannot fade. She was unstoppable, resilient and above all, deeply human. ‘I will always remember her. She could fly — and in my heart, she always will’; (1990’s The Godfather Part III)

Keaton once reflected on their relationship herself, admitting Pacino was the one who got away. 

On Monday, the Scarface star appeared visibly downcast as he headed toward a private jet alongside Noor, with whom he welcomed son Roman in 2023 — his first public outing since losing the woman many believed was the love of his life.

The pair were both dressed down in all-black ensembles — a quiet reflection, perhaps, of the somber mood of the day.

Pacino and Keaton’s romance would last beyond Coppola’s The Godfather Part III, released in 1990, and Keaton later admitted her former co-star was the great love she never ended up with.

‘I didn’t even want him to propose,’ she told The Times of their relationship in 2017. ‘I just thought maybe he would marry me, eventually. I thought, “don’t even propose – let’s just do it.” 

‘But that never happened, and that is a blessing for both of us. It would have been a nightmare for him.’

She added ‘We’re very eccentric, he needed a woman that was going to take care of him, I needed a man who would take care of me.

‘It was just very important that we left each other alone, said goodbye. But it wasn’t my choice.’ 

Keaton and Pacino won accolades for their respective roles as Kay Adams and mafia don Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy. 

The two dated on and off from 1971 to 1987 after famously playing husband and wife in Francis Ford Coppola ’s 1972 classic The Godfather

The late actress passed away in California on Saturday at the age of 79 (pictured in 2019)

Neither would marry, and Pacino later admitted regretting his decision to walk away from his screen wife. 

‘Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane who he’s always called, “an amazing woman”,’ a friend of the actor told the Daily Mail.

‘I know he will forever regret he didn’t make his move when he had the chance. For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, “if it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over”. But sadly, now it is.’

The source said while Pacino romanced a string of women, his four children have always been the most important thing in his life.

‘Al adores all his kids,’ the source added. ‘And although he preferred living in New York, he also purchased a home in Los Angeles just so he could spend more time on the West Coast with his children who lived there.

‘Though he and Diane both lived in Beverly Hills, only a few miles from each other for years, they never spoke.

The affair would last beyond Coppola’s poorly received The Godfather Part III, released in 1990 (pictured) and Keaton later admitted her former co-star was the one who got away 

‘I once asked him why, and he told me, “There’s no need to talk with each other. We said everything that needed to be said at the time”.’

No cause of death has been announced but Keaton, who was regularly seen out and about in LA, disappeared from the site a few months ago.

One neighbor told the Daily Mail he would regularly see her walking her dog Emma.

‘But I hadn’t seen her in months,’ the neighbor said. ‘Now I wonder if she may have been ill for a while.’

The late actress also used to say marriage was never something high on her bucket list.

‘Diane’s parents were together, but her father was always away on business,’ said another source.

‘So, he might as well not have been there at all. She loved her mother, who managed the home and raised her four children on her own, and Diane admired her strength and independence.’

While Keaton never married, she would adopt two children (L-R: son Duke Keaton, Diane Keaton, and daughter Dexter Keaton)

She also shared a close relationship with Woody Allen for two decades, but it wasn’t the same kind of relationship she shared with Pacino.

‘There was something about Al that reminded her of a lost orphan in need of love,’ shared the source. ‘And she felt sure he would never try and take her independence, because he needed her to be strong.

‘Diane could definitely have seen herself marrying Al, and them having kids together. But after years of on and off romance, she felt the time to marry was now or never. 

‘And she eventually told him: “Marry me or else!”‘ 

The source added: ‘To her surprise, he walked away, insisting no woman was going to push him into doing something he wasn’t ready to do. And true to his word, he moved on.’