Diane Keaton’s death from pneumonia was “not a shock” to a longtime pal who claims she had been sick for a while.
The beloved actress, who died over the weekend at the age of 79, had been struggling with an unnamed illness, leading to the decline of her health, the friend told TMZ on Wednesday.
“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 rep for the family said in a statement earlier Wednesday, revealing the cause of her death.
“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 rep announced Keaton’s death on Saturday, adding that “her family has asked for privacy in this moment of great sadness.”
It was later reported that the Los Angeles Fire Department had responded to the movie star’s home just after 8 that morning and transported her via ambulance to a local hospital.
Following Keaton’s death, a pal disclosed that her health had “declined very suddenly” in recent months, but she and her tight-knit circle “chose to keep things very private.”
Her longtime friend Carole Bayer Sager went on to share that she was “stunned by how much weight [Keaton had] lost” when she last saw her less than a month ago.
A source added that the mother of two “loved” her Brentwood, Calif., neighborhood, where she lived for many years, and that “up until just a few months ago, she’d walk her dog every day.”
To the surprise of those who knew her, Keaton — who battled both skin cancer and bulimia during her life — listed her “dream home” in March.
Her last Instagram post was in April, as was one of her last public outings.
Hours after news of Keaton’s passing broke, Ed Begley Jr. recalled seeing her at her “Something’s Gotta Give” co-star Jack Nicholson’s 88th birthday party.
“It was good to see her there,” he said, adding, “She loved Jack Nicholson, as I do, and Jack loved her. So I don’t mean to speak for him. I’m sure he’s as devastated as I am by her loss.”
The actor, 76, became emotional as he reminisced on working with Keaton, whom he described as a “wonderful actress” and “wonderful lady.”
“I played her brother in an HBO film called ‘Running Mates’ with Ed Harris,” he noted. “So I’m glad I knew her these many years.”
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