Woody Allen has paid lengthy tribute to Diane Keaton after her death aged 79 on Saturday.
In an essay published by The Free Press, Allen, 89, wrote about their time together from first meeting in 1969 during rehearsals for his play Play It Again, Sam, through their five-year love affair and the eight films they made together (including some after they were romantically involved) and into their friendship beyond.
“As time went on I made movies for an audience of one, Diane Keaton,” Allen wrote. “I never read a single review of my work and cared only what Keaton had to say about it.”
He also said that she was “unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again,” and that “her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered”.
Keaton died after being taken ill at her home in Los Angeles. The actor had been out of the public eye for some months and a source close to her told Variety that although no illness had been announced, her health had declined rapidly, with many of her close friends unaware she was ailing.
Her death nonetheless appeared to be a shock even to her closest circle.
“A few days ago the world was a place that included Diane Keaton,” writes Allen. “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.”
Keaton remained a staunch supporter of Allen after the resurfacing of a 1992 abuse allegation made against him by Dylan Farrow, his and Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter, during a custody battle over Dylan and Ronan Farrow.
The allegation was investigated at length and then dismissed by two official bodies and no charges were brought.
“Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” Keaton said of the allegation when it picked up renewed momentum as part of the #MeToo movement. “It might be of interest to take a look at the 60 Minutes interview from 1992 and see what you think.”
In his 2020 memoir, Allen described Keaton as his “north star”; the person whose opinion matters the most.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2023, Keaton said: “He was so amazing. It always was really special to be with Woody. He was great. He was everything, and he remains [so] to me. He gave me everything. He really did. Woody made it loose. That helped me enormously.”
Allen’s essay includes anecdotes on their time together outside work, including a memorable Thanksgiving playing poker with her family, and says of their relationship: “We had a few great personal years together and finally we both moved on, and why we parted only God and Freud might be able to figure out.”
In 2017, Allen broke his awards season allergy to present Keaton with the AFI life achievement award, saying: “The minute I met her, she was a great, great inspiration to me. 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.”
