Actress Diane Keaton dies at 79
Actress Diane Keaton rose to fame after starring in “The Godfather” and collaborating with Woody Allen in “Annie Hall.”
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Al Pacino reportedly regrets not marrying Diane Keaton now that the opportunity is gone.
On October 11, Keaton died at age 79. The actress’ family told People they requested privacy and did not share any additional details about her death.
A close friend of Keaton told People that his health had deteriorated rapidly before his death.
Diane Keaton dated her “Godfather” co-star Al Pacino. (Getty Images)
“She declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her,” said a friend of the Oscar winner. People. “It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit.”
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“During her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even her longtime friends were not fully aware of what was happening,” the friend added.
“Looking back, Al admits that the love of his life was Diane, who he always called ‘an amazing woman.’ I know he will always regret not taking action when he had the chance.”
The news of Keaton’s death saddened many. Pacino reportedly regretted not proposing to Keaton after their on-and-off relationship that lasted nearly 20 years.
“Looking back, Al admits that the love of his life was Diane, who he always called ‘an extraordinary woman’. I know he will always regret not taking action when he had the chance,” a source close to the actor told the Daily Mail.
Al Pacino and Diane Keaton attended the premiere of “Sea of Love” in 1989. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“For years after he and Diane broke up, Al used to say, ‘If it’s meant to be, it’s never too late to do it again.’ But unfortunately, that is now the case,” the source continued.
Pacino and Keaton had an on-and-off relationship from 1971 until they decided to call it quits for good in 1987. The source told the outlet that even though they lived just minutes from each other in Beverly Hills, they didn’t stay in communication once their romance ended.
“Even though he and Diane both lived in Beverly Hills, just a few miles apart, they never spoke for years.”
Al Pacino and Diane Keaton in a scene from “The Godfather”. (Paramount Pictures/courtesy Getty Images)
“I once asked him why, and he said, ‘There’s no need to talk. We said everything that needed to be said at that time,'” the source explained.
Although the two did not stay in touch, Pacino honored Keaton at the American Film Institute’s 45th Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
“You are a great artist. I love you forever,” he told Keaton after receiving her award, according to Vanity Fair.
Al Pacino spoke on stage at the American Film Institute’s 45th Diane Keaton Tribute Gala in 2017. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Keaton and Pacino’s love story began after they met on the set of “The Godfather,” where the actor played Michael Corleone and Keaton played his second wife, Kay.
Their relationship reportedly only became romantic after the film finished filming. In recent years, the two have spoken about their relationship.
“I was crazy about him. Charming, hilarious, endlessly talkative,” Keaton told People in 2017. “There was a side of him that was like a lost orphan, like this kind of idiotic, mad scientist. And oh, beautiful!”
She told the outlet at the time that she gave Pacino an ultimatum not to commit to marriage. “I worked hard on that one. I didn’t do it perfect,” Keaton told People in 2017.
Although Keaton never married, she was involved with other A-list stars, including Woody Allen and Warren Beatty. She adopted her two children, Dexter and Duke, in her 50s and raised them alone.
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone and Diane Keaton as Kay Corleone in ‘The Godfather II’. (FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
Keaton had a pretty strong stance on remaining single, stemming from a moment in his childhood.
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“I remember one day in high school, this guy came up to me and said, ‘One day you’ll make a good wife.’ And I thought, I don’t want to be a woman. No,” she told People in 2019.
However, Keaton told the Sunday Times in 2017 that she was considering marriage to Pacino.
“I didn’t even want him to propose to me. I just thought maybe he would marry me one day. I was like, ‘don’t even propose, let’s do it.’ But that never happened, and that’s a blessing for both of us. It would have been a nightmare for him. »
Diane Keaton died this weekend at age 79. (Raymond Hall/GC Images)
She continued: “We are very eccentric, he needed a woman who would take care of him, I needed a man who would take care of me… It was just very important that we leave each other alone, that we say goodbye. But it wasn’t my choice.”
Pacino never said “yes” either, but he fathered four children: Julie Marie, twins Anton and Olivia, and Roman.
“Al adores all his children,” the source told the Daily Mail. “And although he preferred living in New York, he also bought a house in Los Angeles so he could spend more time on the West Coast with his children living there.”
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He mentioned his relationship with Keaton in his memoir, “Sonny Boy.” In the book, he recounts the first time he went bankrupt and Keaton came to his rescue. According to The Guardian, Pacino wrote that after “The Godfather” and “Dog Day Afternoon,” he “was spending and not earning; I was spending but not making.”
Al Pacino reportedly went bankrupt after filming ‘The Godfather’. (Getty Images)
Keaton accompanied Pacino to his lawyer’s office and shouted, “Do you know who he is?”
“You’re going to say to me, ‘Oh, he’s an artist.’ No. He. East. An idiot. He’s ignorant. When it comes to this, you have to take care of him. »
Pacino’s representative did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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