Diane Keaton death latest: Longtime friend was ‘stunned’ by actor’s dramatic weight loss in weeks prior to death

Diane Keaton’s longtime collaborator, Woody Allen, is reportedly ‘extremely distraught’ over her death

Beloved actor Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79 in California.

Keaton’s longtime friend told People that she had become “very thin” in the weeks prior to her death. “I saw her two or three weeks ago,” singer-songwriter Carole Bayer Sager recalled. “She had lost so much weight.”

Other friends also told the outlet that Keaton’s health had “declined very suddenly” in her final months. Her family “chose to keep things very private,” and even some of her longtime friends “weren’t fully aware of what was happening,” one friend told the outlet.

Keaton rose to fame in the 1970s, and starred in classic films such as The First Wives Club and Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia epic The Godfather.

Keaton played the role of Kay Adams-Corleone, a role which she reprised in The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III. She also enjoyed a decades-long collaboration with controversial director Woody Allen, and received an Academy Award for her role in Annie Hall in 1978.

Tributes have flooded in for the late actor from her friends and peers. Bette Midler, who starred with Keaton in The First Wives Club, described her as “brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary,” with Marvin’s Room actor Leonardo DiCaprio calling Keaton “one of a kind”.

She is survived by her two children, Dexter, 29, and Duke, 25.

Key Points

Diane Keaton, Oscar-winning Annie Hall star, dies at 79
Keaton’s health ‘declined very suddenly’ in recent months
Woody Allen ‘extremely distraught’ over Diane Keaton’s death: report
Bette Midler shares emotional tribute
Diane Keaton obituary: “A powerhouse of the stage and screen”

1 hour ago

Reese Witherspoon recalls one of her first interactions with Keaton

“I’m going to try and get through this without tearing up,” an emotional Reese Witherspoon said during an event for her Hello Sunshine media company. “I don’t know if you heard that Diane Keaton passed away today.”

She went on to recall her first time meeting Keaton, back when she was 15 years old, auditioning for a role in her 1991 romance drama Wildflower.

“Diane was really important. She was one of my first mentors in this business,” Witherspoon said, recounting how confused Keaton was by her thick, southern accent.

After Keaton asked if she was faking her accent, Witherspoon remembered telling her, “‘No, ma’am. I’m from Nashville, Tennessee, and I’d love to be in your movie.’

“And she was like, ‘You’re hired today, tomorrow, and the next day. I don’t know who you are, but I am so excited to have you,’” Witherspoon recalled.

Inga Parkel13 October 2025 04:00

2 hours ago

Elizabeth Banks extols Keaton’s indelible influence

Elizabeth Banks additionally paid tribute to the legendary Keaton, writing on Instagram: “She was beloved in her industry. Every one of us idolizes her. Her influence on culture, fashion, art and women can’t be overstated. She was a delight. I am proud I have a career that allowed me to meet her and breathe her air.”

She also included a picture of her, Selma Blair and Sarah Paulson posing with Keaton at an event.

Inga Parkel13 October 2025 03:00

3 hours ago

A class act through and through, Keaton used her platform to uplift small artists.

Keaton may have been in a league of her own, but that didn’t stop her from humbly using her platform to champion smaller artists.

She was a frequent Instagrammer, often sharing videos and pictures to laud the incredible talent of others.

“UNBELIEVABLE!!!” she said, reposting a clip of one singing trio’s rendition of the classic 1984 ballad “Hallelujah.”

Inga Parkel13 October 2025 02:00

4 hours ago

Diane Keaton was a fiercely independent Hollywood icon

A powerhouse of the stage and screen, and a self-confessed “oddball.”

Mike Bedigan remembers the Hollywood legend…

Androgynous style and red wine on ice – Diane Keaton was a fiercely independent Hollywood icon

(2023 Invision)

Despite her immense fame, having worked with other industry titans including Woody Allen, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson, the actor remained grounded, telling ‘The Independent’ in 2015 that she took her inspiration from ‘people off the street’

Inga Parkel13 October 2025 00:30

5 hours ago

Keaton received numerous accolades throughout her acting career

Keaton famously landed her first Oscar nomination and Best Actress win in 1977 for her lead performance in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall.

But that was just one of many acting accolades she earned over the years.

She went on to nab three more Best Actress Oscar nominations for Reds, Marvin’s Room and Something’s Gotta Give. She also earned two Emmy nominations, one daytime nod in 1990 for outstanding achievement in directing for a 1990 episode of CBS Schoolbreak Special, and a second primetime nod in 1995 for her leading role in the TV movie Amelia Earhart: The Final Hour.

However, before she became a beloved screen actor, known for her wit, uniqueness, and talent, she found success on Broadway in Woody Allen’s 1969 play, Play It Again, Sam.

Her performance landed her a Tony nomination for Featured Actress in a Play.

Inga Parkel12 October 2025 23:30

6 hours ago

Keaton’s former Father of the Bride co-star mourns mourns loss of ‘one of the greats’

Keaton’s former Father of the Bride co-star Kimberly Williams-Paisley mourned her death, calling her “one of the greats.”

“Diane, working with you will always be one of the highlights of my life,” she wrote on Instagram, next to two old stills of them from the 1995 sequel. “You are one of a kind, and it was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, your talent, and above all, your laughter.”

Keaton starred in the classic family comedy film series as Nina Banks, whose husband, George Banks (Steve Martin), becomes very upset after learning of their daughter Annie’s (Williams-Paisley) surprise engagement.

Part II, released in 1995, followed Annie and Nina, who coincidentally get pregnant at the same time.

Inga Parkel12 October 2025 23:00

6 hours ago

Watch: Diane Keaton shares ‘beautiful’ moment in final Instagram video

Diane Keaton shares ‘beautiful’ moment in final Instagram video

Inga Parkel12 October 2025 22:30

8 hours ago

Sarah Jessica Parker lauds Keaton as an ‘inspiration for countless’ actors

Keaton’s former co-star, Sara Jessica Parker, has lauded her for not only being an “inspiration for countless actresses” but for having a “delightful and perfectly own cinematic career.”

“Diane Keaton has been a point of inspiration for countless actresses,” Parker said in an Instagram post, alongside an old picture of Keaton.

“I include myself among those who loved and admired her,” she continued. “I was very privileged to witness her singular skill and talent on both First Wives Club and The Family Stone.”

She added: “I will cherish those memories on set as well [as] her touching, delightful and perfectly own cinematic career. Which is a gorgeous legacy of an exquisite person.

“She will be terribly missed. RIP and Godspeed you glorious creature.”

Inga Parkel12 October 2025 21:00

8 hours ago

The director Keaton wanted to work with before her death — but never got to

Despite having already worked with countless Hollywood heavyweight actors and directors, Keaton still had dreams of who she’d someday like to work with.

In a 2015 interview with The Independent, she expressed her desire to collaborate with “somebody like David Fincher once in my life.”

Unfortunately, Keaton never got to team up with the acclaimed Gone Girl director.

In the same interview, she also shared a list of some of her favorite then-up-and-coming actors, including Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy, among others.

Inga Parkel12 October 2025 20:50

8 hours ago

Keaton experienced a dramatic weight loss in weeks leading up to death, says friend

Carole Bayer Sager, the Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter who co-wrote Keaton’s only solo single, “First Christmas,” said she was “stunned” by Keaton’s thin appearance weeks before her unexpected death.

“I saw her two or three weeks ago, and she was very thin,” Sager told People of her longtime friend. “She had lost so much weight.”

Sager explained that she hadn’t seen Keaton as often this year because the Annie Hall star had moved to Palm Springs following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January.

“She had to go to Palm Springs because her house had been damaged inside, and they had to clean everything,” Sager said. “She was down there for a while, and when she came back, I was kind of stunned by how much weight she’d lost.”

Remembering Keaton for being a “magic light for everyone,” Sager added, “I just loved her. She was so special, she just lit up a room with her energy. She was happy and upbeat and taking photographs of everything she saw. She was completely creative; she never stopped creating.”