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Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton, celebrated for her iconic role in Annie Hall (1977) and her portrayal of Kay Adams in The Godfather films, has died aged 79, People magazine reported on Saturday.
A family spokesperson confirmed that Keaton passed away in California and requested privacy as her loved ones grieve. Details surrounding her death have not yet been disclosed.
Keaton, born Diane Hall in Los Angeles on 5 January 1946, rose to stardom through her long-standing collaboration with director Woody Allen. Her performance as the quirky and endearing Annie Hall earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, while the film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Over her career, Keaton appeared in eight of Allen’s films, including Play It Again, Sam (1972), Manhattan (1979), and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). Despite controversy surrounding Allen in later years, Keaton publicly defended him, saying in 2018: “Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him.”
In addition to her Oscar win, Keaton earned three further Academy Award nominations for Reds (1981), Marvin’s Room (1996), and Something’s Gotta Give (2003).
Her performance as Kay Adams in The Godfather trilogy remains one of cinema’s most memorable depictions of loyalty and disillusionment.
Later in her career, Keaton explored stories of ageing and resilience, notably starring in Book Club (2018) and Poms (2019) — the latter portraying a terminally ill woman who forms a cheerleading team in a retirement community.
Reflecting on ageing in a 2019 interview with AFP, she said, “Life gets easier because what have you got to lose? You face it — that’s the truth.”
Though she never married, Keaton was romantically linked to Woody Allen, Al Pacino, and Warren Beatty. “I’ve never even got married. I’m a failure,” she once joked, before adding that while she may have missed out on something, “nobody can have everything.”
She is survived by her two children, Dexter and Duke.
