Al Pacino Breaks Silence on Ex Diane Keaton's Death After Pneumonia

Al Pacino has broken his silence following ex-girlfriend Diane Keaton’s death from pneumonia.

“I am deeply saddened by Diane Keaton’s passing,” the actor, 85, wrote in a statement shared with Deadline on Thursday, October 16. “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. Though over thirty years has past since we were together, the memories remain vivid, and with her passing, they have returned with a force that is both painful and moving.”

The statement continued, “She lived without limits, and everything she touched carried her unmistakable energy. She opened doors for others, inspired generations and embodied a once-in-a-lifetime gift that radiated through her work and her life. On screen, she was magnetic — lightning and charm, hurricanes and tenderness. She was a wonder. Acting was her art, but it was only one of the many ways she expressed her imagination and creativity.”

“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 concluded. “I will always remember her. She could fly — and in my heart, she always will.”

People broke the news on Saturday, October 11, that Keaton had died at age 79. Keaton’s family later confirmed to the outlet that her cause of death was pneumonia, which was listed on her death certificate. Her body was cremated.

Keaton starred as Kay Adams in The Godfather film series, appearing alongside Pacino as Michael Corleone. The late Marlon Brando and James Caan also starred. Pacino and Keaton began dating in the ’70s shortly after the first film, a relationship that lasted on-and-off until 1990.

Director Francis Ford Coppola cowrote the 1972 film’s screenplay alongside author Mario Puzo, who released the book of the same name in 1969.

Coppola, 86, previously explained his decision to cast Keaton — who was relatively unknown at the time — as the film’s lead female role. During a 2023 Instagram Q&A, Keaton wrote in and wondered, “Why on Earth did you choose me for The Godfather?!!” (The Godfather was also one of Pacino’s first-ever movie roles.)

Coppola posted Keaton’s questions and offered a sweet answer for the world to see.

“I chose you, because although you were to play the more straight/vanilla wife, there was something more about you, deeper, funnier, and very interesting. (I was right),” he shared at the time.

The famed director also revealed that the first time he saw Keaton act was when she appeared in the original Broadway cast of Hair in 1968.

“I was invited by Fred Astaire to accompany him to see Hair,” Coppola added. “Which he couldn’t make ‘hide nor hair’ out of. You were in it, and I remember your beautiful singing voice.”

When it came to her part in The Godfather, Keaton went in blind. Years after the movie was released — and has since become widely regarded as one of the best films ever made — the actress revealed that she never read the novel until being cast as Kay.

“I think the kindest thing that someone’s ever done for me … is that I got cast to be in The Godfather and I didn’t even read it. I didn’t know a single thing,” she told People in August 2022. “I just was going around auditioning. I think that was amazing for me. And then I had to kind of read the book.”

Keaton noted that when she looked back at her career, especially regarding The Godfather, she felt a certain way.

“I think about how lucky I am. That’s what I think. And the way I think about things, like I auditioned for The Godfather, not having ever read The Godfather or caring about The Godfather or anything, because all I was doing was auditioning. I needed to get work,” she added. “So I was there and so he had me come back and then he cast me and then Al Pacino.”

As the story goes, the studio didn’t want to cast Pacino as Michael. But when Coppola set up a chemistry read between Keaton and Pacino, things changed.

“He brought Al Pacino in and we did it together and for some reason that helped them cast him. Can you imagine if [they] hadn’t cast him?” Keaton recalled to People. “So a lot of these experiences that you have come and you’re just surprised, like today, this was a surprise. This is [a] complete, utter surprise to me.”