Diane Keaton has died of pneumonia, the Oscar-winning actor’s family has revealed, expressing thanks for the “extraordinary” response to her death last week.
“The Keaton family is so grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received over the past few days from their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11,” the family said in a statement to People.
They directed anyone wishing to donate in her honor to causes she believed in: “She loved her animals and she strongly supported the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute.” »
Keaton died in California at the age of 79. An enduring and singular cinema icon since her Oscar-winning turn in 1977’s Annie Hall – which her director, screenwriter, co-star and former boyfriend Woody Allen drew heavily on from his own life – Keaton has starred in some of the key films of the last half-century, including The Godfather and its sequels, Reds, Marvin’s Room, Something’s Gotta Give, Father of the Bride and The First Wives. Club.
His death was a shock to Hollywood and the rest of the world; although she had not been exposed to the public for several months, no illnesses had been announced.
After his death, People cited a source close to the actor as saying that Keaton’s health had “deteriorated very suddenly” in recent months and that even many of his longtime friends “weren’t fully aware of what was happening.”
Many of his former co-stars, including Woody Allen, Jane Fonda, Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep, have paid tribute to him.
Keaton never married. She is survived by her two younger sisters, Dorrie and Robin, and her two children, daughter Dexter and son Duke, whom she adopted in 1996 and 2001. “Motherhood has completely changed me,” she once said. “It’s just about the most humiliating experience I’ve ever had.”
