Diane Keaton’s family has disclosed the actress's cause of death after she died at the age of 79.
As widely reported, the Annie Hall and Father of the Bride star died on Saturday, October 11, after emergency responders were called to her Los Angeles home.
According to a recent statement shared by her loved ones to PEOPLE, Keaton passed away from pneumonia. “The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11," they wrote.
They added that Keaton’s love for animals and support for the unhoused community were central to her values, suggesting: “Any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her.”
Emergency Call and Private Final Days
A 911 dispatch audio released by TMZ revealed that emergency services were called to Keaton’s Los Angeles home at 8:08AM. A fire department operator can be heard saying, “Rescue 19, person down,” before reading her address. She was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, where she later died.
Though she had quietly withdrawn from public life earlier this year, the news came as a shock. “Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening,” a family friend told the outlet.
In her final months, Keaton was reportedly “surrounded only by her closest family,” including her daughter Dexter, 29, and son Duke, 25, both of whom she adopted as a single mother in her 50s.
Hollywood Pays Tribute
Keaton became a cinematic icon with her Academy Award-winning performance in 1977’s Annie Hall, written and directed by her former partner, Woody Allen. She went on to star in major films, including The Godfather trilogy, Reds, Marvin’s Room, Something’s Gotta Give, The First Wives Club, and Father of the Bride.
She never married and is survived by her two sisters, Dorrie and Robin, in addition to her children.
Tributes have poured in from across the entertainment world. Keanu Reeves, who starred with Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give, remembered her as a "generous artist and a very special, unique person,” at a recent screening of his film Good Fortune in New York, per E! News.
In Nancy Meyers’ 2003 romcom, Keaton played a playwright who was torn between a young doctor (Reeves) and an older lothario (Jack Nicholson) who has been dating her daughter (Amanda Peet).
“It was cool to be able to see her and Jack Nicholson together,” Reeves added. “Just with the history they shared and the fondness and love they had for each other.”
Woody Allen wrote a long tribute in The Free Press: “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. Her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered.” He added, “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.”
Director Meyers added that she had lost “a friend of almost 40 years - at times over those years, she felt like a sister because we shared so many truly memorable experiences. As a filmmaker, I’ve lost a connection with an actress that one can only dream of."
Once a familiar figure walking her dog, Reggie, around Brentwood, Keaton had gradually disappeared from public life in recent months.
Now, her absence is felt deeply by friends, family, and fans. Our thoughts continue to be with her loved ones.