TOUCHING tributes have poured in for Diane Keaton after the beloved actress branded an “icon of style and comedy” died aged 79.
Fellow Hollywood giants and showbiz pals took to social media to pay their respects to the Oscar-winning star – best known for roles in Annie Hall and The Godfather.
Acting giant Ben Stiller said of the late actress: “Diane Keaton. One of the greatest film actors ever.
“An icon of style, humor and comedy. Brilliant. What a person.”
The First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler said: “The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died.
“I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me.”
She added: “She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star.
“What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!”
Meanwhile, Piers Morgan said: “RIP Diane Keaton, 79.
“One of Hollywood’s greatest actresses, and a delightful lady. Sad news.”
Fellow actress at Book Club co-star Mary Steenburge said: “Diane was magic.
“There was no one, nor will there ever be, anyone like her. I loved her and felt blessed to be her friend.
“My love to her family. What a wonder she was!!!”
Film director Paul Feig said: “I was so honored to call Diane Keaton a friend.
“She was an amazingly kind and creative person who also just happened to be a Hollywood legend.
“She has been taken from us far too soon. We will miss you, Diane.”
A spokesperson on behalf of the Keaton family confirmed to PEOPLE on Saturday that she died in California.
She is survived by her two children Dexter, 29, and Duke Keaton, 25.
The actress’s lengthy career began on stage in the 1960s when she starred in the 1968 Broadway production of Hair.
From then on she catapulted to fame, bagging numerous accolades along the way.
Just a year after her stage debut, Keaton was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in Woody Allen’s Play It Again, Sam.
In 1970 she broke into film with a role in Lovers and Other Strangers followed by a starring role in The Godfather, acting alongside Al Pacino.
It would be a role she would return to for both sequels in 1974 and 1990.
By 1977 she bagged her first Academy Award for Best Actress in Woody Allen’s rom-com Annie Hall.
During her legendary career, Keaton also won a BAFTA and two Golden Globes.
She was also nominated for two Emmys.
But despite her success, Keaton refused to watch her performances back telling PEOPLE in 1975, “I just don’t like the way I look and sound.”
This self-consciousness also played out on the set of The First Wives Club in which she starred alongside Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler.
In 2023, Keaton told The Hollywood Reporter how she was “always kind of anxious and a little worried” while filming the 1996 comedy where she sang and danced alongside two “really amazing actresses”.
Her last movie was the 2023 film Book Club: The Next Chapter.
