Diane Keaton’s former co-star and romantic partner, Al Pacino, was “shaken” by her death, saying in a tribute, “She left a mark that cannot fade.”
Pacino and Keaton starred in the gangster Godfather films together as Michael Corleone and Kay Adams-Corleone and began a romance off-screen.
Pacino said he was “deeply saddened” by Keaton’s passing Saturday in a new statement to Deadline.
“When I first heard the news, I was shaken. Diane was my partner, my friend, someone who brought me happiness and on more than one occasion influenced the direction of my life,” Pacino, who is currently filming a movie in Paris, said.
Keaton’s family told People Wednesday the 79-year-old Hollywood star died of pneumonia. They asked fans to make donations to causes close to Keaton’s heart as a tribute.
“She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her,” they said.
Keaton told People in 2017 she “had a crush” on Pacino when they worked together on the first Godfather film in 1971.
“I was mad for him. Charming, hilarious, a nonstop talker,” she said.
Pacino had some kind words to share about the energy of his former flame as well.
“On screen, she was magnetic — lightning and charm, hurricanes and tenderness,” he said. “People will miss her, but more than that, they will remember her. She left a mark that cannot fade. She was unstoppable, resilient and above all, deeply human.”
Pacino and Keaton dated on and off, primarily through the 1980s, until they officially broke up in 1990.
The relationship ended after Keaton gave Pacino, who wouldn’t pop the question, an ultimatum.
“I worked hard on that one. I went about it in not a perfect way,” she told People.
Keaton also dated Hollywood’s Woody Allen and Warren Beatty.
Keaton won an Academy Award for her leading role in Allen’s 1977 film Annie Hall, and was later nominated for her roles in Beatty’s 1981 film Reds, the 1996 film Marvin’s Room and the 2003 film Something’s Gotta Give.
