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Hollywood Icon Diane Keaton Dies at 79, Tributes Pour In
Hollywood legend Diane Keaton, an Academy Award-winning actress whose career spanned decades, has passed away at the age of 79, her family confirmed to People magazine. Details emerging indicate a rapid decline in her health in the weeks leading up to her death on October 11.
Emergency services were dispatched to Keaton’s residence in the early hours of Saturday morning. According to 911 audio obtained by TMZ, a dispatcher reported a “person down” at the actress’s address on October 11. The Los Angeles Fire Department subsequently transported Keaton to a local hospital.
Close friends of the beloved star described her health as having “declined very suddenly,” a development that was “unexpected” given her renowned strength and spirit. One friend told People that Keaton spent her final months in privacy, surrounded only by her closest family.
Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, a longtime friend, recounted her final visit with Keaton just weeks before her passing. Sager noted Keaton’s significant weight loss, stating, “She was very thin…
She had lost so much weight.” She added that Keaton had been staying in Palm Springs due for a period after her Los Angeles home suffered damage from wildfires, requiring extensive cleaning.
Despite these challenges, Sager emphasized, “she was a magic light for everyone… She was happy and upbeat and taking photographs of everything she saw.”
Another friend echoed these sentiments, highlighting Keaton’s enduring humor. “She was funny right up until the end,” the friend shared, adding that Keaton “lived exactly how she wanted to, which was on her own terms, surrounded by the people and things she really loved.”
News of Keaton’s death sparked an outpouring of heartfelt tributes from across Hollywood, with former co-stars and celebrities sharing their memories.
Steve Martin, who played Keaton’s on-screen husband in the hit 1991 comedy Father of the Bride and its 1995 sequel Father of the Bride II, shared a humorous anecdote. He posted a screenshot of a 2021 interview with Interview magazine where Martin Short asked, “Who’s sexier?
Me or Steve Martin?” Keaton’s quick-witted reply: “I mean, you’re both idiots.”
Martin captioned his post, “Don’t know who first posted this, but it sums up our delightful relationship with Diane.”
Kimberly Williams-Paisley, who portrayed Keaton’s daughter in the Father of the Bride films, commented on Martin’s post, saying, “I can absolutely hear her saying that.” Williams-Paisley also posted her own tribute, writing, “Diane, working with you will always be one of the highlights of my life.
You are one of a kind, and it was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, your talent, and above all, your laughter.”
Goldie Hawn, a co-star from the 1996 ensemble comedy The First Wives Club, shared an emotional message on Instagram. “Diane, we aren’t ready to lose you,” Hawn wrote.
“You’ve left us with a trail of fairy dust, filled with particles of light and memories beyond imagination… There was, and will be, no one like you.”
Hawn fondly recalled their time filming, describing their days as “starting with coffee in the makeup trailer, laughing and joking, right through to the very last day of filming. It was a roller coaster of love.”
She concluded her tribute, saying, “I’m going to miss the hell out of you. My heart goes out to your beautiful children, Dex and Duke.”
Bette Midler, another First Wives Club co-star, also paid tribute, posting a black-and-white image of Keaton. Midler called her “brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary,” adding, “She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile… What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!”