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Los Angeles (Reuters)
Diane Keaton, the quirky US actress who won an Academy Award and captured hearts with her performance in the 1977 romantic comedy "Annie Hall," has died at the age of 79.
Rizzoli, a publishing company that released several of Keaton's books, confirmed her death in a statement, calling her an "icon whose influence spanned film, fashion, and design."
A representative for Keaton could not be immediately reached. Her death was first reported by People magazine.
Keaton, who appeared in more than 60 films, including "The Godfather" trilogy, "The First Wives Club" and eight films with Allen, stood out in Hollywood with a personal style, turtleneck sweaters and her trademark hats.
'ANNIE HALL' ESTABLISHED KEATON
She earned Oscar nominations for best actress for her portrayal of US journalist Louise Bryant in the 1981 political drama "Reds," as a caring aunt to Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1996 family saga "Marvin's Room" and opposite Jack Nicholson in the 2003 romantic comedy "Something's Gotta Give."
But it was "Annie Hall" that established her as a consummate actress.
"It was an idealized version of me, let's put it that way," Keaton said about the film in an interview with CBS News in 2004.
"Annie Hall" and Keaton's dramatic turn landed her on the cover of "Time" magazine in September 1977.
Rolling Stone magazine described her as "the next (Katherine) Hepburn" in its June 30th issue that year.
Forty years later, Allen paid tribute to his early muse when Keaton received the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award for her body of work.
"The minute I met her she was a great, great inspiration to me," he said. "Much of what I've accomplished in my life I owe for sure to her. She's really astonishing."
Keaton was also a director, writer, producer, and photographer and had a passion for restoring California mansions. She detailed her life in two memoirs, "Then Again" in 2011, in which she revealed she had suffered from the eating disorder bulimia in her 20s, and "Let's Just Say it Wasn't Pretty" in 2014.
'LA-DEE-DA, LA-DEE-DA, LA-LA'
Keaton was born Diane Hall in Los Angeles on January 5, 1946. The oldest of four children, she adopted her mother's maiden name to avoid confusion with another actress with the same moniker.
Her father, a civil engineer, and her housekeeper mother moved the family to suburban Santa Ana when Keaton was a child.
After briefly attending college in California, Keaton moved to New York to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse. She landed a role in the original Broadway rock musical "Hair" in 1968.
In "Annie Hall," she immortalized the phrase "la-dee-da, la-dee-da, la-la," which was characteristic of her flighty, fluttered style.
Francis Ford Coppola cast Keaton as Kay Adams, Pacino's love interest in "The Godfather." It was a major role for the actress in the film that won the Oscar for best picture in 1973.
As Keaton's career progressed, she moved to mature career women and mothers grappling with family issues. She credits director Nancy Myers for her long-lasting career. They worked on four films together, including 1987's "Baby Boom," and the 1991 remake of the 1950s film "Father of the Bride."
Keaton was also nominated for a lead actress Emmy in 1995 for "Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight" and directed several films, television episodes and two music videos for singer Belinda Carlisle.
Keaton never married.
After adopting two children, Dexter and Duke, when she was in her 50s, Keaton said she found a real purpose in her life that she never had before.
"I was very heavily involved in myself forever. And this changes the whole landscape of your life. Your whole point of view in a good way," she told CBS News.
