Beloved Oscar Winner Diane Keaton Passes Away at 79

Actress Diane Keaton, celebrated for her Oscar-winning role in the 1977 film Annie Hall and her performances in The Godfather series, has passed away at the age of 79.

While specific details surrounding her passing are sparse, a family spokesperson confirmed to People that she died on Saturday (Oct 11) in California. Her loved ones are requesting privacy during this difficult time.

Keaton frequently collaborated with director Woody Allen, capturing hearts in her portrayal of the titular character in Annie Hall, the love interest of Allen’s comedic character, Alvy Singer.

This film not only earned accolades for best picture, best director, and best original screenplay but also solidified Keaton’s reputation as a leading actress and an unconventional style icon.

Throughout her career, Keaton starred in eight Allen films, including Play It Again, Sam (1972), Manhattan (1979), and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993).

In The Godfather trilogy, she portrayed Kay Adams, the girlfriend and eventual wife of Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino.

Beyond her work with Allen, audiences cherished her role as the anxious yet caring mother in the 1991 comedy Father of the Bride, where she and her husband, played by Steve Martin, organized an extravagant wedding for their daughter.

As her career progressed, Keaton starred in two notable films about aging women: Book Club (2018), which conveyed the message that love knows no age, and Poms (2019), which tells the story of a terminally ill woman who finds purpose in a retirement community by forming a cheerleading squad.

A winner of both BAFTA and Golden Globe awards, Keaton received three additional Oscar nominations for her performances in Reds, Marvin’s Room, and Something’s Gotta Give.

In 2017, she received the Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, which described her as “unconventional, iconoclastic, and left-of-center.”

“I feel so fortunate to have spent any time with this marvelous woman, and I’m heartbroken that she is gone,” expressed actress Andie MacDowell, who co-starred with her in Unstrung Heroes (1995), one of several films Keaton directed.

Controversies and Views

In late 2017, as Hollywood faced numerous sexual harassment allegations, including those against heavyweight figures like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, previous accusations against Allen resurfaced, coming from his adoptive daughter, Dylan. Keaton publicly stated, “Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” in a tweet from January 2018, marking one of her rare public controversies.

She mentioned in a 2019 interview with AFP that she had experienced no “Me Too” incidents throughout her extensive career, quipping, “Maybe I just wasn’t harassment material.”

Keaton’s bright smile and unique fashion sense, first showcased in Annie Hall, popularized an eclectic style that included oversized hats and the playful incorporation of menswear.

Reflecting on aging, Keaton shared that life seemed to get simpler over time. “You think so, because what have you got to lose?” she remarked in her 2019 interview.

Born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946, in Los Angeles, Keaton had celebrated relationships with film icons like Allen, Pacino, and Warren Beatty, yet she never married. In her humorous style, she commented, “Most people in the movies get married at some point, and then they divorce. But I’ve never even got married. I am (a) failure.”

Did she ever regret not marrying? “I don’t think about it much, but I’m aware of the fact that I’m unusual in that regard, and maybe I did miss out on something. But then, nobody can have everything, right?”

She is survived by her two children, Dexter and Duke.