Woody Allen has honored ex-girlfriend Diane Keaton with a heartfelt essay following her death aged 79.
Keaton, a titan of the entertainment industry since rising to prominence during the 1970s, died suddenly on Saturday, October 11. While her official cause of death is unknown at the time of writing, reports claim that her health deteriorated quickly over the course of recent months.
Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, a close friend of Keaton’s, told People Magazine that they had met “two or three weeks ago,” and that Diane 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,” 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.”
According to 911 audio obtained by TMZ, a dispatcher reported a “person down” in the early hours of Saturday morning, October 11.
Keaton was transported to a local hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department, TMZ reported. A spokesperson for the department later confirmed that paramedics responded to a medical emergency at Keaton’s residence and transferred a person to a hospital, who was later confirmed to be Keaton.
Her family confirmed her passing to People Magazine, saying she died “peacefully” early Saturday morning.
As mentioned, Keaton’s cause of death has not yet been revealed. Given that the actor reportedly only spent time with her family over the last months, even old friends were shocked about the news of her death.
That includes legendary director and actor Woody Allen, who worked with Keaton on several films. The two stars also embarked on a short-lived relationship.
In an emotional essay published by The Free Press Sunday, Allen described Keaton as a one-of-a-kind individual.
“Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered,” Allen wrote.
The pair first met when Keaton was cast opposite Allen in his 1969 play Play it Again, Sam. He described them both as being shy, though they achieved a breakthrough during a lunch pause at rehearsals.
“That was our first moment of personal contact,” Allen penned. “The upshot is that she was so charming, so beautiful, so magical, that I questioned my sanity. I thought: Could I be in love so quickly?”
The pair soon grew close and ultimately fell for one another.
“I never read a single review of my work and cared only what Keaton had to say about it,” Allen went on. “If she liked it, I counted the film as an artistic success. If she was less than enthusiastic, I tried to use her criticism to reedit and come away with something she felt better about.”
After “a few great personal years together,” Allen wrote in his essay, “we both moved on, and why we parted only God and Freud might be able to figure out.”
Allen concluded: “A few days ago, the world was a place that included Diane Keaton. Now it’s a world that does not. Hence, it’s a drearier world. Still, there are her movies. And her great laugh still echoes in my head.”
Keaton, readers may remember, was among those who defended Allen during his public controversies, not least when he was accused of having sexually abused Dylan Farrow, daughter of former partner Mia.
“Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” Keaton wrote at the time.
Rest in peace, Diane Keaton.
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