Woody Allen pays tribute to Diane Keaton in…
Woody Allen is mourning the death of Diane Keaton.
The 89-year-old filmmaker paid tribute to his ex-girlfriend and “Annie Hall” co-star, who died at age 79 on Saturday, in an emotional essay revealed by The Free Press on Sunday.
“It’s grammatically incorrect to say ‘most unique,’ but all rules of grammar, and I guess anything else, are suspended when talking about Diane Keaton,” Allen wrote. “Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered.”
Woody Allen, Diane Keaton at the Hilton Hotel in London in Oct. 1970. Getty Images
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in a publicity still for “Play It Again, Sam.” Getty Images
The director recalled assembly Keaton at an audition for his 1969 play “Play It Again, Sam.” He remembered that they had been both “shy” until linked over a meal during a break.
“That was our first moment of personal contact,” said Allen. “The upshot is that she was so charming, so beautiful, so magical, that I questioned my sanity. I thought: Could I be in love so quickly?”
Woody Allen at the Venice Film Festival in Sept. 2023. Earl Gibson III/Shutterstock
Diane Keaton in an Instagram picture. Instagram/@diane_keaton
Woody Allen and Diane Keaton seen in New York City in June 1970. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Allen explained that as his and Keaton’s relationship progressed, she grew to become his most important collaborator and confidant.
“I never read a single review of my work and cared only what Keaton had to say about it,” he shared. “If she liked it, I counted the film as an artistic success. If she was less than enthusiastic, I tried to use her criticism to reedit and come away with something she felt better about.”
Woody Allen, Diane Keaton on the set of the movie “Sleeper” in 1973. Getty Images
Diane Keaton and Woody Allen in “Annie Hall.” Bettmann Archive
The two stars dated for a few years beginning in 1969, and as Allen wrote in his essay, “only God and Freud might be able to figure out” why they didn’t last as a couple.
“This beautiful yokel went on to become an award-winning actress and sophisticated fashion icon,” Allen added of the “First Wives Club” star.
At the end of his essay, Allen wrote: “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 in 1972. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Keaton starred in eight of Allen’s films, including “Annie Hall,” “Manhattan,” “Radio Days” and “Love and Death.” She received an Oscar for Best Actress for “Annie Hall.”
In 2018, Keaton publicly stood by Allen after he was accused of little one molestation by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, whom he shared with his ex-girlfriend, Mia Farrow. Allen has denied the allegations.
“Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” Keaton wrote on Twitter at the time.
Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn at the eightieth Venice Film Festival in Sept. 2023. FilmMagic
Woody Allen, Diane Keaton in “Annie Hall.” Everett Collection / Everett Col
Allen, for his half, honored Keaton at the forty fifth Annual AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony in 2017.
“The minute I met her, she was a great, great inspiration to me,” Allen said at the event. “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 as she receives the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award in LA in June 2017. REUTERS
Keaton handed away on Saturday in California, her household confirmed. A trigger of death was not disclosed.
The “Book Club” star’s health allegedly “declined very suddenly” in the last few months.
Diane Keaton seen in Los Angeles in May 2024. GC Images
“It was so unexpected,” a buddy of Keaton’s told People Saturday, “especially for someone with such strength and spirit.”
Keaton never disclosed if she was battling any sickness. She was last seen publicly in late 2024 during a vacation procuring journey.
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