Diane Keaton’s cause of death has been revealed as pneumonia, with a longtime friend now claiming that the iconic actor had been sick for some time.
Keaton’s death at the weekend came a surprise to her legion of fans – the star, 79, hadn’t endured a public health battle and wasn’t known to be suffering from any longterm illness – making her passing all the more tragic.
In an emotional statement shared with People, Keaton’s loved ones described how she passed away on October 11, surrounded by those closest to her.
The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that emergency crews were called to her home just after 8 a.m., with one person transported to a nearby hospital shortly thereafter before being pronounced dead.
“The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11,” a statement from Keaton’s family reads.
“She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her.”
Oscar-winning songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, one of Keaton’s good friends, recalled how frail the actress appeared in their last meeting.
“I saw her two or three weeks ago, and she was very thin,” Sager said. “She had lost so much weight.
“She had to go to Palm Springs because her house had been damaged inside, and they had to clean everything. She was down there for a while, and when she came back, I was kind of stunned by how much weight she’d lost.”
Now, however, a close friend of Keaton’s has revealed to TMZ that the star had been sick for a while with an unnamed illness, and that her passing was “not a shock”.
As mentioned above, her family have stated that her official cause of death is pneumonia, though no underlying causes or possible contributing factors have been made clear.
Having been in the public eye for most of her adult life, Keaton had amassed a strong fanbase and was a popular figure in Hollywood. Keaton was candid about her personal struggles, speaking candidly about her family history of cancer and her battle with bulimia in her 20s.
Rest in peace, Diane Keaton.
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