Diane Keaton dead at 79: Hollywood icon who starred in Godfather and First Wives Club passes away
Diane Keaton, one of Hollywood’s most distinctive and beloved stars, has died at the age of 79.
A family spokesperson confirmed to People that the Oscar-winning actress passed away in California.
Her loved ones have requested privacy as they mourn her loss.
No further details have been released.
Known for her quirky charm, wit, and timeless style, Keaton built a career spanning more than five decades — from her early breakthrough in The Godfather trilogy to her Oscar-winning turn in Annie Hall.
She became a defining face of 1970s cinema and later cemented her legacy with hits like Baby Boom, Father of the Bride, The First Wives Club, and Something’s Gotta Give.
Diane Keaton, one of Hollywood’s most distinctive and beloved stars, has died at the age of 79; (seen in 2023)
A family spokesperson confirmed to People that the Oscar-winning actress passed away in California; (seen in First Wives Club)
In recent years, she delighted audiences again with the Book Club films, proving her enduring appeal across generations.
Born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946, in Los Angeles, Keaton grew up with big dreams and a flair for individuality that would later define both her career and her personal style.
After graduating high school, she studied acting at Santa Ana College before heading to New York City to attend the famed Neighborhood Playhouse, where her passion for performance truly took shape.
Before Hollywood came calling, Keaton made her stage debut in the original 1968 Broadway cast of Hair, instantly standing out for her charisma and offbeat charm. Her first film role followed just two years later in Lovers and Other Strangers, but it was 1972’s The Godfather that catapulted her into stardom. As Kay Adams-Corleone, the conflicted wife of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone, Keaton became a defining part of one of cinema’s greatest sagas — reprising the role in both sequels.
Her career reached new heights with Annie Hall in 1977, earning her the Academy Award for Best Actress and solidifying her as one of the most compelling and relatable stars of her generation. ‘Of course my favorite is the obvious one,’ she once told PEOPLE of Annie Hall. ‘Woody didn’t know if it would work. He didn’t trust it — he’d say, “It’s just another sitcom.”’
Over the next decades, Keaton’s filmography became a masterclass in versatility — from her fierce turn in Warren Beatty’s Reds (with whom she shared a real-life five-year romance) to her warm, comedic performance in Baby Boom, where she played a career woman whose life is upended by sudden motherhood. ‘If I was the mother, I wouldn’t have been happy about the way I tossed those babies around!’ she joked years later.
Keaton continued to charm audiences through the ’90s and 2000s with a string of beloved Nancy Meyers films, including Father of the Bride and Something’s Gotta Give, opposite Jack Nicholson.
Off-screen, she built a rich and independent life — becoming a mother to two children, Dexter and Duke, whom she adopted in her 50s. Despite high-profile romances with Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson, Keaton never married, once saying she preferred the freedom to live life entirely on her own terms.
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