Woody Allen is grieving the loss of Diane Keaton.
The 89-year-old filmmaker penned a heartfelt tribute to his former girlfriend and Annie Hall co-star, who passed away Saturday at age 79. His emotional essay was published by The Free Press on Sunday.
“It’s grammatically incorrect to say ‘most unique,’ but all rules of grammar—and I suppose everything else—don’t apply when speaking about Diane Keaton,” Allen wrote. “Unlike anyone the world has ever known, or will likely ever know again, her face and laughter lit up every room she entered.”
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in a publicity still for Play It Again, Sam.
The director reminisced about first meeting Keaton during an audition for his 1969 play Play It Again, Sam. He recalled that both were “shy” at first but quickly bonded over a shared meal during a break.
“That was our first real moment of personal connection,” Allen said. “She was so charming, so beautiful, so magical that I began to question my sanity. I thought, Could I really be in love this fast?”
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton spotted in New York City, June 1970.
As their relationship deepened, Allen said Keaton became his closest collaborator and most trusted confidant.
“I never read a single review of my work—I only cared about what Keaton thought,” he shared. “If she liked a film, I considered it an artistic success. If she was less than enthusiastic, I’d take her feedback, reedit, and try to create something she felt better about.”
Diane Keaton and Woody Allen in Annie Hall.
The pair dated for several years beginning in 1969, and as Allen reflected in his essay, “only God and Freud might be able to figure out” why their romance didn’t endure.
“This beautiful yokel went on to become an award-winning actress and a sophisticated fashion icon,” Allen wrote of The First Wives Club star.
He closed his essay with a poignant reflection: “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.”
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in New York City, 1972.
Keaton appeared in eight of Allen’s films, including Annie Hall, Manhattan, Radio Days, and Love and Death. She earned an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Annie Hall.
In 2018, Keaton publicly voiced her support for Allen after he was accused of child molestation by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Mia Farrow. Allen has consistently denied the allegations.
“Woody Allen is my friend, and I continue to believe him,” Keaton wrote on Twitter at the time.
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in Annie Hall.
In 2017, Allen paid tribute to Keaton at the 45th Annual AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony.
“The minute I met her, she was a great, great inspiration to me,” Allen said. “Much of what I’ve accomplished in my life I owe, for sure, to her—seeing life through her eyes. She really is astonishing. This is a woman who is great at everything she does.”
Diane Keaton embraces Woody Allen while receiving the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award in Los Angeles, June 2017.
Keaton passed away on Saturday in California, her family confirmed, though a cause of death has not been disclosed.
The Book Club star’s health reportedly “declined very suddenly” in recent months.
Diane Keaton seen in Los Angeles, May 2024.
“It was so unexpected,” a friend of Keaton’s told People on Saturday, “especially for someone with such strength and spirit.”
Keaton never revealed whether she was facing any illness. She was last seen publicly in late 2024 during a holiday shopping trip.
