Controversial director, Woody Allen has paid tribute to his one-time girlfriend and creative collaborator, Diane Keaton. The director, 89, has penned an op-ed for The Free Press where he paid homage to the late actress, who died on 11 October aged 79. "It's grammatically incorrect to say 'most unique', but all rules of grammar, and I guess anything else, are suspended when talking about Diane Keaton," he wrote. "Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered."
"A few days ago, the world was a place that included Diane Keaton," Woody added in the op-ed. "Now it's a world that does not. Hence, it's a drearier world. Still, there are her movies. And her great laugh still echoes in my head." Despite once being linked romantically, Diane and Woody remained friends six decades after their brief romance. In fact, despite being known for starring in a number of iconic roles, it was her portrayal of Annie Hall in Woody's eponymous 1977 flick was the only film where she managed to clinch her only Academy Award.
The embattled director joins a slew of other celebrities who have paid homage to the late actress. Reese Witherspoon paid a tearful tribute while on stage at the Hello Sunshine Shine Away Festival where she recalled the heartwarming story of how Diane helped Reese to find her footing in the Hollywood industry.
Her longtime friend Goldie Hawn also posted a lengthy celebration of Diane's life, writing: "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. How do we say goodbye? What words can come to mind when your heart is broken? You never liked praise, so humble, but now you can’t tell me to "shut up" honey. There was, and will be, no one like you."
Fellow First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler wrote on Instagram: "The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died. I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me. 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!"
© Getty ImagesWhen Woody and his ex-wife, Mia Farrow split up, the Annie Hall director faced criticism for beginning a relationship with his ex-wife's adopted daughter, Soon-Yi. He was also accused of sexual abuse by Mia's daughter Dylan, who alleged that Woody had molested her when she was seven years old.
Mia and Woody were married from 1980 to 1992, meaning that Soon-Yi would have been 10 years old when the director joined the family. She claimed that her now-husband "was never any kind of father figure [to her]" and that she "never had any dealings with him" growing up.
© WireImageDespite renewed criticism against the director during the 2018 MeToo movement, Diane took to Twitter to defend the director. "Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him," she wrote. "It might be of interest to take a look at the 60 Minutes interview from 1992 and see what you think."
