Diane Keaton’s famous friends are opening up about her public appearances in the months before her death.
Keaton’s longtime pal and Book Club costar Ed Begley Jr. recalled one of their final interactions, which happened to involve Jack Nicholson.
“I saw her fairly recently at Jack Nicholson’s birthday party, and it was good to see her there,” Begley Jr., 76, told People on Saturday, October 11. “She loved Jack Nicholson, as I do, and Jack loved her. So I don’t mean to speak for him. I’m sure he’s as devastated as I am by her loss.”
News broke of Keaton’s death on Saturday. At the time, a friend of the star told the outlet that the Oscar winner, aged 79, “declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her.” A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
The friend added, “In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening.”
Keaton and Nicholson, who turned 88 on April 22, played romantic leads in 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give. The Nancy Meyers-directed rom-com also starred Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet, Frances McDormand, Jon Favreau, Paul Michael Glaser, Rachel Ticotin, KaDee Strickland and Peter Spears, and ultimately earned Keaton a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2004 Oscars.
Years before Keaton’s death, Meyers recalled the actress’ undeniable chemistry with Nicholson on set, particularly during the scene where their characters professed their love for each other.
“We’re rehearsing that scene in the street, where he’s running after her and he calls me over after one rehearsal. He’s all rattled,” Meyers told Vulture in April 2018.
Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson Michael Caulfield/WireImage
She continued, “I said, ‘What’s up?’ And he goes, ‘Diane just told me she loves me.’ I couldn’t tell if he was horrified or thrilled. So I was like, ‘Yes, I know, I wrote that line. It’s in the script, Jack.’ And he said, ‘Oh, OK.’ He thought she meant it. It’s really funny. That’s her.”
Keaton was fond of working with Nicholson, writing in her 2011 memoir, Then Again, that Something’s Gotta Give was her “favorite film.”
“It’s the best of all possible worlds for me,” she once told the BBC of the movie. “Not only do I get to kiss Keanu Reeves and have a big romance with him, but I also get to have the same experience with Jack! He’s the original bad boy, so that’s about as exciting as it gets.”
Meyers mourned Keaton in a tribute posted via Instagram on Monday, October 13.
“These past 48 hours have not been easy,” Meyers penned. “Seeing all of your tributes to Diane has been a comfort. As a movie lover, I’m with you all – we have lost a giant. A brilliant actress who time and again laid herself bare to tell our stories.”
Sarah Paulson and Diane Keaton had a special friendship that lasted for decades. Paulson was spotted crying outside Keaton’s home after news of the Annie Hall star’s death at age 79 broke in October 2025. Page Six reported the pair had been friends “for years.” Keaton and Paulson costarred in 1999’s The Other Sister. Keaton […]
Meyers continued, “As a woman, I lost a friend of almost 40 years – at times over those years, she felt like a sister because we shared so many truly memorable experiences. As a filmmaker, I’ve lost a connection with an actress that one can only dream of. We all search for that someone who really gets us, right? Well, with Diane, I believe we mutually had that.”
Begley Jr. also spoke with Us Weekly exclusively about his “close” friendship with Keaton at the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards on Saturday, revealing she was “like a sister” to him.
“It hit me hard when I heard of her passing,” he shared. “She’s with us still [in spirit]. She’s not going anywhere.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usmagazine.com ’
