Shortly after the passing of legendary actress Diane Keaton, new details have emerged surrounding her “unexpected” demise.
The Oscar-winning star passed away on October 11 after spending nearly a year out of the public eye.
A 911 call revealing her final moments was released on Sunday, where dispatchers at the scene contacted the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) for help.
Highlights
- Diane Keaton passed away at 79, surrounded by her “closest family members,” after nearly a year away from the public eye.
- A 911 dispatch call from her Los Angeles home revealed the exact moment emergency responders arrived and found her unresponsive.
- Friends and co-stars, including her ex Al Pacino, expressed grief and reflected on the life and legacy of the legendary icon.
Diane Keaton was 79 when she passed away, surrounded by her loved ones at a Los Angeles hospital
Image credits: Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images
Keaton’s passing came as a shock to both the entertainment industry and her fans, as there had been no prior public concerns about her health.
One of her friends revealed that her condition had taken a sudden turn, saying her health “declined very suddenly.”
They told People, “It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit.”
Image credits: Jerod Harris / Getty Images
Only the closest family members and friends were aware of The Godfather alum’s health struggles.
According to the dispatch call obtained by TMZ, emergency responders arrived at the scene in the early hours of October 11 and discovered a “person down.”
Image credits: Ron Galella / Getty Images
In the call made to the fire department, the dispatcher was heard saying, “Rescue 19, person down," before repeating Diane’s home address.
The 911 call made from Diane's Los Angeles home has now been publicly revealed
Shortly after the call, the LAFD arrived at the scene at exactly 8:08 a.m., and an ambulance transported her to a nearby hospital.
The friend shared with the outlet, “She was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening.”
Image credits: diane_keaton / Instagram
Just weeks before her passing, Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter Carole Bayer Sager had visited the actress at her home.
Sager shared with People that over the past year, Keaton had become increasingly reclusive.
During her last visit, she also noticed how drastically “very thin” Diane had become.
“I saw her two or three weeks ago, and she was very thin. She had lost so much weight."
“It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit," said one mourning friend
Image credits: Leo Stern
“She had to go to Palm Springs because her house had been damaged [from the LA wildfires]... She was down there for a while, and when she came back, I was kind of stunned by how much weight she'd lost," the songwriter added.
Image credits: Paramount Pictures / Abc
Carole and Keaton had been close friends for years and had even collaborated on Diane’s single, First Christmas.
“I just loved her. She was so special, she just lit up a room with her energy.”
In the wake of Keaton's passing, tributes poured in from her former co-stars and other A-list celebrities, honoring the beloved icon.
Image credits: Kim Snellink / Wikipedia
Bette Midler, who co-starred with Keaton in the 1996 film First Wives Club, wrote in her tribute, “I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me. She was hilarious, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was…”
Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio, who shared the screen with her in 1996’s Marvin’s Room, called the Oscar-winning star “brilliant, funny and unapologetically herself.”
In the months leading up to Keaton's passing, the actress had completely withdrawn from public life
Image credits: diane_keaton / Instagram
“Diane Keaton was one of a kind. Brilliant, funny, and unapologetically herself. A legend, an icon, and a truly kind human being,” he wrote on his Instagram story.
Notably, one of her former flames and The Godfather co-star, actor Al Pacino, reportedly took the news hard and was said to harbor lingering regrets about their past relationship, which lasted from 1974 to 1990.
Image credits: godfather.fandom.com
“Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane who he’s always called, ‘an amazing woman.’ For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, ‘if it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over.’ But sadly, now it is.”
Image credits: diane_keaton / Instagram
The two stars had reportedly fallen in love while filming The Godfather Part II and even remained on good terms long after their breakup.
Keaton had walked away from their relationship after Pacino refused to marry her and settle down.
The Annie Hall star’s ex-boyfriend of 16 years, Al Pacino, expressed his regret for not tying the knot with the late actress
Image credits: Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images
Image credits: leonardodicaprio / Instagram
“Words can’t express the wonder and talent of Diane Keaton. Endlessly intelligent, so beautiful… Everything about Diane was creativity personified,” mourned The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola.
The Father of the Bride star was last seen out and about in public back in late 2024 while shopping for Christmas decor in Los Angeles.
A few months prior to her passing, in March of this year, Diane had also placed her home on the market for $28.9 million, which she later reduced by $1.4 million.
She had last posted on her Instagram account on April 11, marking National Pet Day with her golden retriever.
“Diane, we aren’t ready to lose you. You’ve left us with a trail of fairy dust, filled with particles of light and memories beyond imagination,” wrote Goldie Hawn in her emotional tribute to her The First Wives Club co-star.
Keaton is survived by her two adopted children, daughter Dexter, 29, and son Duke, 25.
“It’s hard to believe Diane Keaton is gone… Some stars fade quietly, but hers will keep lighting up screens and hearts forever,” echoed netizens
