Diane Keaton, the cherished Oscar-winning actor known for her charming presence on and off the screen, died of pneumonia, her family has said.
A statement from the family released to People Magazine on Wednesday said: “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.”
The statement continued: “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.”
The 79-year-old’s family confirmed her death to NBC News last week but did not offer additional details, requesting privacy at the time.
Keaton, a Los Angeles native, dropped out of drama school in California and moved to New York to pursue her acting career. It was there she earned her first breakout role on Broadway, starring in Woody Allen’s “Play it Again, Sam.”
She’d take her role in the 1968 theatrical production to the big screen just a few years later. Keaton played opposite Al Pacino in the 1974 hit “The Godfather,” quickly cementing herself as a rising Hollywood star.
Keaton won her sole Academy Award in 1977, reuniting with Allen to play his love interest in “Annie Hall.” She’d later earn nominations for other works, including “Marvin’s Room,” which co-starred Meryl Streep and a young Leonardo DiCaprio.
While Keaton had an undoubtedly prolific career both as an actor and director, it seems her uniqueness and humble personality are what her loved ones remembered her for after her death.
Jane Fonda, who acted alongside Keaton in the 2018 movie “Book Club,” wrote that it was hard to believe her friend had died.
“She was always a spark of life and light, constantly giggling at her own foibles, being limitlessly creative … in her acting, her wardrobe, her books, her friends, her homes, her library, her worldview,” Fonda wrote in a post on Instagram.
In an appearance over the weekend, Reese Witherspoon recalled first meeting Keaton as a 15-year-old early in her career. Witherspoon auditioned for a role in the Keaton-directed film “Wildflower” and described Keaton as one of her first mentors.
“She is just incredible and indelible and just a truly original person,” Witherspoon said.
Keaton is survived by her daughter, Dexter, and son, Duke, whom she adopted when she was in her 50s.
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