Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton, one of Hollywood’s most beloved and distinctive performers, has died at the age of 79.
Keaton, who was born in Los Angeles, rose to international fame in the 1970s for her portrayal of Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather trilogy. She went on to star in several acclaimed films including Annie Hall, Father of the Bride, and The First Wives Club.
Her performance in Woody Allen’s 1977 romantic comedy Annie Hall earned her the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA for Best Actress, cementing her place as one of cinema’s most versatile talents.
Producer and close friend Dori Rath confirmed her death to CBS News, while a family spokesperson told Peoplemagazine that Keaton died in California on Saturday.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, Keaton appeared in dozens of films, including The Family Stone, Because I Said So, and And So It Goes. She also starred in several other Woody Allen classics such as Play It Again, Sam, Sleeper, Love and Death, and Manhattan.
Her final film, the 2024 comedy Summer Camp, saw her appear alongside Eugene Levy and Kathy Bates.
Beyond acting, Keaton was also an accomplished director. Her directorial debut, the 1987 documentary Heaven, explored people’s beliefs about the afterlife. Her 1995 feature Unstrung Heroes was selected for the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, and she later directed Hanging Up in 2000, starring herself, Meg Ryan, and Lisa Kudrow.
Known for her signature menswear-inspired fashion and wide-brimmed hats, Keaton’s personal style became as iconic as her screen presence.
Tributes have poured in from across the entertainment industry. Her First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler wrote on Instagram: “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.”
Goldie Hawn, another co-star, described Keaton as leaving “a trail of fairy dust, filled with particles of light and memories beyond imagination.”
Steve Martin, who starred with her in Father of the Bride, fondly recalled their “delightful relationship,” while actor Ben Stiller called her “one of the greatest film actors ever an icon of style, humor and comedy.”
Keaton received four Oscar nominations over her career all for Best Actress for Annie Hall, Reds, Marvin’s Room, and Something’s Gotta Give.
She never married and is survived by her two adopted children, Dexter and Duke.
In her 2011 autobiography Then Again, Keaton reflected on her family and happiness, writing: “I am totally content whenever the ones I love are happy about something little, big, insignificant, whatever. I just don’t think anyone could possibly have the same wonderful, intense, compelling feelings that I have for this family of mine.”
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