NEED TO KNOW
- Diane Keaton died on Saturday, Oct. 11, at age 79
- Countless Hollywood stars paid tribute to the icon, including her many onscreen daughters like Mandy Moore, Olivia Wilde and more
- Father of the Bride alum Kimberly Williams-Paisley said, “She was a mom to so many of us”
Diane Keaton’s onscreen children shared heartfelt tributes to the Hollywood icon after her death.
The Oscar winner died in California on Saturday, Oct. 11, at age 79. Many of Keaton’s friends and former costars shared fond memories of their time with her, hailing the actress as an icon and true original.
Mandy Moore, who played daughter to Keaton in 2007’s Because I Said So, wrote on Instagram that Keaton was “one of the very best to ever do it.”
“They say don’t meet your heros [sic] but I got to work with one of mine and even call her ‘mom’ for a few months. An honor of a lifetime,” wrote Moore, 41.
“What an incandescent human Di is and was. I am so sad she’s gone for all the reasons but also because it felt like she’d be here forever, dazzling us with her talent and charm (and her style, c’mon)!!!”
In the comment section, Kimberly Williams-Paisley remarked, “She was a mom to so many of us.”
Williams-Paisley, 54, starred as Keaton and Steve Martin’s daughter in the Father of the Bride movies, released in 1991 and 1995. “Diane, working with you will always be one of the highlights of my life,” the actress wrote in her own Instagram tribute. “You are one of a kind, and it was thrilling to be in your orbit for a time. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, your talent, and above all, your laughter.”
In an interview with PEOPLE, the 9-1-1: Nashville star said, “It’s really one of the best memories I’ll ever have in my life, getting to work with Diane.” Williams-Paisley added, “She had such a great sense of humor and was just full of laughter, and so generous with compliments.”
Olivia Wilde remembered working with onscreen mom Keaton in the 2015 Christmas comedy Love the Coopers.
“I couldn’t believe I got to call her Mom,” wrote Wilde, 41. “I took photos of the family bookshelves because it just felt so surreal and I wanted to remember this beautiful set that felt so real. We were a family, singing songs and freezing together in Pittsburgh. Diane was the heart of the family. Of course.”
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Wilde continued, “She laughed through night shoots, kept us roaring with laughter constantly actually, and talked to us for hours about love. She told me to keep my heart open. She told me to direct. She told me to be brave. She told me to keep laughing.”
“I hate that she’s gone,” added Wilde, “but I love that she was here, and for a brief moment, I got to bask in her immaculate energy.”
In the 2016 Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory, Keaton voiced Jenny, the mother of Ellen DeGeneres’ blue tang fish, Dory. DeGeneres, 67, honored Keaton, who visited her daytime talk show 20 times over the course of her career.
“Diane Keaton was an icon – a hero of mine growing up,” wrote the comedian. “To be able to connect with her on my show over the years was so much fun. She was one of my all-time favorite guests. Always a surprise. always fun. She was one of a kind.
Emma Roberts, who worked with Keaton in 2023’s Maybe I Do, wrote on her Instagram Stories that the late actress was “the absolute greatest,” adding, “So lucky to have worked with her. Love you Diane.”
Offscreen, Keaton, known for movies like Annie Hall, The Godfather, Reds and Book Club, had two children: daughter Dexter, 29, and son Duke, 25, whom she welcomed via adoption. In 2021, Keaton, who never married, told Interview magazine, “My friends make my heart sing. My kids make my heart sing.”
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