Diane Keaton dies aged 79: Touching tributes flood in for Oscar-winning actress

Diane Keaton has passed away at the age of 79.

The Oscar-winning actress died in California on Saturday, October 11, and a spokesperson told People magazine, "There are no further details available at this time, and her family has asked for privacy in this moment of great sadness."

After making her film debut in the 1970 romantic comedy Lovers, Keaton's breakout role was as Kay Adams in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972), which she later reprised twice for Part II (1974) and Part III (1990).

She was also known for her collaboration with director Woody Allen, spanning decades in both theatre and film, with projects including Love and Death (1975), Annie Hall (1977), Interiors (1978), Manhattan (1979), Radio Days (1987), and Wild Man Blues (1997), and the two also had a brief relationship.

Diane Keaton dies aged 79: Touching tributes flood in for Oscar-winning actress Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Keaton would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1978, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Motion Picture and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, for her performance in Annie Hall (1977).

She also starred in comedy films such as Father of the Bride (1991), The First Wives Club (1996), Something’s Gotta Give (2003) and Book Club (2018).

Keaton's last acting role was in the 2024 comedy Summer Camp, starring alongside Josh Peck, Kathy Bates, Eugene Levy and Alfre Woodard.

Outside of acting, Keaton was vocal in her animal welfare activism and changed her diet for this particular cause.

“I don’t eat meat, I’m a vegetarian and I’ve been a vegetarian for 25 years and I’ve stopped even eating fish,” she explained to The Sydney Morning Herald in 2020. “I stopped five years ago. I don’t want to eat something that was an animal.”

Style-wise, Keaton was known for her androgynous style that included her signature bowler hat, waistcoats and oversized jackets.

Hollywood pays tribute to Keaton

The legendary actress was beloved by Hollywood as fellow actors, including previous co-stars, shared heartfelt tributes about Keaton following her passing.

First Wives Club co-star Goldie Hawn wrote on Instagram: Diane, we aren’t ready to lose you. You’ve left us with a trail of fairy dust, filled with particles of light and memories beyond imagination. How do we say goodbye? What words can come to mind when your heart is broken? You never liked praise, so humble, but now you can’t tell me to “shut up” honey. There was, and will be, no one like you."

Another fellow First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler similarly took to the platform: "The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died. 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!

Leonardo DiCaprio posted via Instagram Story a photo of Keaton from when they worked together on the 1996 film Marvin's Room: “Diane Keaton was one of a kind. Brilliant, funny, and unapologetically herself. A legend, an icon, and a truly kind human being. I had the honor of working with her at 18. She will be deeply missed.”

Leonardo DiCaprio posts tribute to Keaton on Instagram following news of her death.Instagram/Leonardo DiCaprio

Steve Martin who starred with Keaton in Father of the Bride alongside Martin Short, reposted part of a magazine article where Short asked: "Who's sexier, me or Steve Martin?"

To which Keaton replied: "I mean, you're both idiots."

Martin wrote, "Don't know who first posted this, but it sums up our delightful relationship with Diane."

Ben Stiller took to X and wrote, "Diane Keaton. One of the greatest film actors ever. An icon of style, humor and comedy. Brilliant. What a person."

RIP Diane Keaton (1946-2025).

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