Woody Allen Pens Heartfelt Tribute to Diane Keaton After Her Sudden Death at 79 – Globe Magazine

Woody Allen has broken his silence on the death of his former partner and longtime friend, Diane Keaton.

“It’s grammatically incorrect to say ‘most unique,’ but all rules of grammar and I suppose everything else are suspended when talking about Diane Keaton,” Allen, 89, wrote in a tribute published in The Free Press on Sunday on October 12, per the Mirror. “Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered.”

The Annie Hall director continued, “I never read a single review of my work and cared only what Keaton had to say about it. If she liked it, I counted the film as an artistic success. If she was less than enthusiastic, I tried to use her criticism to reedit and come away with something she felt better about.”

Allen concluded by saying, “A few days ago, the world was a place that included Diane Keaton. 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.”

Allen and Keaton first met in 1969 and went on to date for several years. Along with Annie Hall, they worked together on other films, including Manhattan, Love and Death and Play It Again, Sam.

The First Wives Club actress died suddenly on October 11, but no cause of death has been released. She is survived by her two children, son Duke, 25, and daughter Dexter, 29.