Diane Keaton’s death yesterday took almost everyone by surprise — including some of her closest friends, apparently.
“She declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her,” a friend of Keaton told People. “It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit.”
That source added, “In her final months, [Keaton] 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.”
People also reports Keaton surprised onlookers by putting her Los Angeles “dream home” for sale this March, listing the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom house for $29 million after spending eight years renovating the property.
Plus, Keaton could be seen walking her dog in the Brentwood neighborhood every day until “just a few months ago,” another source said. “She was usually dressed the same, with a hat and her signature sunglasses, regardless of the weather.” that source added. “She was always very nice, funny, and chatty.”
Keaton, a star of rom-coms like Annie Hall and dramatic fare like the Godfather trilogy, died in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 11. No cause of death has been announced publicly.
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson told CNN they received a call for medical assistance that morning at Keaton’s address and paramedics transferred a person to a hospital, and a law enforcement source confirmed to CNN that the person transported was Keaton.
Celebrity tributes to Keaton have poured in over the last 24 hours.
“Words can’t express the wonder and talent of Diane Keaton,” Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola wrote on Instagram. “Endlessly intelligent, so beautiful. From her earliest performances in [the Broadway musical] Hair and throughout her amazing career, she was an extraordinary actor. I saw her in the film Lovers and Other Strangers and knew I had to have her play Kay in The Godfather (which she told me she based on my wife, Ellie), and her wonderful work in Annie Hallwhile simultaneously setting a new fashion trend. Everything about Diane was creativity personified.”
In her Instagram tribute, Keaton’s Father of the Bride costar Kimberly Williams-Paisley wrote, “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.”
Mandy Moore, who played Keaton’s onscreen daughter in Because I Said So, eulogized the actor on Instagram as well. “They say don’t meet your [heroes], but I got to work with one of mine and even call her ‘mom’ for a few months. An honor of a lifetime. What an incandescent human Di is and was. I am so sad she’s gone for all the reasons but also because it felt like she’d be here forever, dazzling us with her talent and charm (and her style, c’mon)! One of the very best to ever do it. All my love to her children and loved ones.”