Diane Keaton, the beloved actress and style icon, passed away at the age of 79 on Saturday, October 11, in California. In the weeks leading up to her death, Keaton’s longtime friend, Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, visited the star and was struck by her noticeable weight loss.
“I saw her two or three weeks ago, and she was very thin. She had lost so much weight,” Sager told PEOPLE.
Sager, who collaborated with Keaton on the actress’s only solo single, First Christmas, explained that she had seen Keaton less frequently this year. The actress spent several months in Palm Springs after wildfires in California damaged her home, requiring extensive cleanup and repairs.
“She had to go to Palm Springs because her house had been damaged inside, and they had to clean everything,” Sager said. “She was down there for a while, and when she came back, I was kind of stunned by how much weight she’d lost.”
Despite her health struggles, Sager said Keaton continued to radiate warmth and creativity. “She was a magic light for everyone. I just loved her. She was so special; she just lit up a room with her energy. She was happy and upbeat and taking photographs of everything she saw. She was completely creative; she never stopped creating,” Sager recalled.
Their collaboration on First Christmas, released in November 2024, showcased Keaton’s passion for music. “She so loved recording this song,” Sager said. “She was almost childlike about it. She was so authentic when she sang it…she’d start to cry sometimes while singing, but she did such a beautiful job.”
Sager also remembered Keaton’s signature style, noting how the actress always brought her iconic fashion sense to every event. “She went to the movies always dressed like she was about to shoot another scene for Annie Hall. She’d wear her hats and jackets and baggy pants, and her belts. She was a fashion icon of her own making,” Sager said.
Keaton was also a cherished member of Sager’s weekly “movie group,” which included friends like Bette Midler. Midler paid tribute to Keaton, writing, “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!”
Another close friend reflected on Keaton’s final years, saying, “She was funny right up until the end. She lived exactly how she wanted to, which was on her own terms, surrounded by the people and things she really loved. She had this way of making even ordinary moments feel special. That was just who she was.”
Diane Keaton leaves behind a legacy of groundbreaking performances, creativity, and an unmistakable charm that will be remembered by fans and friends alike.