Diane Keaton Dead at 79: Bette Midler, Kimberly Williams Paisley and More React
Hollywood is mourning a legend.
Diane Keaton, who starred in iconic movies including The Godfather, The First Wives Club, Annie Hall and many more during her nearly six-decades in Hollywood, has died at 79, her rep confirmed to People Oct. 11.
Following the news of her passing, her former colleagues, including her First Wives Club costar Bette Midler, expressed their grief.
“The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died,” Bette wrote on Instagram Oct. 11. “I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me. She was hilarious, a complete original and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!”
As Father of the Bride daughter Kimberly Williams-Paisley wrote in her own tribute, “Diane, working with you will always be one of the highlights of my life. You are one of a kind, and it was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, your talent, and above all, your laughter.”
Viola Davis expressed disbelief at the news, before sharing a heartfelt message to her late friend.
“No!! No!!! No!! God, not yet, NO!!! Man… you defined womanhood,” the How to Get Away With Murder star noted. “The pathos, humor, levity, your ever-present youthfulness and vulnerability — you tattooed your SOUL into every role, making it impossible to imagine anyone else inhabiting them.”
“You were undeniably, unapologetically YOU!!! Loved you,” Viola continued. “Man… rest well. God bless your family, and I know angels are flying you home.”
Jim Spellman/WireImage
Josh Gad recalled how much her movies inspired him and what it meant to later be able to shared a set with her.
“What a monumental loss,” the Frozen star wrote. “Diane Keaton in many ways defined my love of movies. From Annie Hall to the Godfather films, from First Wives Club to Baby Boom, from Father of the Bride to Something’s Gotta Give, here resume was nothing short of iconic and hall of fame worthy.”
“I was very fortunate to work with her many years ago on an unproduced HBO pilot,” he continued, “and what I found was one of the most humble, ruthlessly funny, and unbelievably talented human beings I’ve ever come across.”
Luke Evans, meanwhile, shared a memory from their day together at Wimbledon.
“What a very sad day. Rest in peace #dianekeaton,” Evans wrote alongside a selfie of the two at the tennis tournament in 2016. “Such a brilliant actor, a kind heart and full of graciousness with a shining independent spirit.”
As Nia Vardalos put it, “Grace. Style. Talent. Above all, a comedy gal who set the bar high for all of us who came after. Rest in peace sweet and funny Diane Keaton.”
More more stars who have spoken out about Keaton’s death, keep reading…
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Nia Vardalos
“Grace. Style. Talent,” the My Big Fat Greek Wedding star wrote on Instagram. “Above all, a comedy gal who set the bar high for all of us who came after. Rest in peace sweet and funny Diane Keaton.”
Getty Images
Bette Midler
The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died,” Bette wrote in her Instagram tribute. “I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me. She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!
Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock
Kimberly Williams-Paisley
“Diane, working with you will always be one of the highlights of my life,” the Father of the Bride star wrote on Instagram. “You are one of a kind, and it was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, your talent, and above all, your laughter.”
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Viola Davis
No!! No!!! No!! God, not yet, NO!!! Man… you defined womanhood,” she noted on Instagram. “The pathos, humor, levity, your ever-present youthfulness and vulnerability — you tattooed your SOUL into every role, making it impossible to imagine anyone else inhabiting them. You were undeniably, unapologetically YOU!!! Loved you. Man… rest well. God bless your family, and I know angels are flying you home.
Luke Evans/Instagram
Luke Evans
“What a very sad day. Rest in peace #dianekeaton,” he wrote on Instagram “Such a brilliant actor, a kind heart and full of graciousness with a shining independent spirit.”
Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
Josh Gad
“What a monumental loss,” he wrote on Instagram. “Diane Keaton in many ways defined my love of movies. From Annie Hall to the Godfather films, from First Wives Club to Baby Boom, from Father of the Bride to Something’s Gotta Give, here resume was nothing short of iconic and hall of fame worthy.”
“I was very fortunate to work with her many years ago on an unproduced HBO pilot,” Josh continued, “and what I found was one of the most humble, ruthlessly funny, and unbelievably talented human beings I’ve ever come across.”
He added, “In many ways, this year will be defined by the loss of a Hollywood we will never again see. There simply are no replacements for a Gene Hackman or a Robert Redford or a Diane Keaton. They were the mavericks who helped redefine movies for a generation and losing them feels like also losing a chance inactive tissue to that golden age just out of reach. My heart goes out to Diane’s entire family during this impossible moment. RIP”
Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
Zac Posen
“Diane Keaton is gone,” the designer wrote on Instagram, “and though I only knew her through the light she gave on screen, I’ll miss that light deeply.”
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