Just weeks before Diane Keaton’s unexpected passing at 79, songwriter and close friend Carole Bayer Sager visited the actress and was struck by how much she had changed.
In an interview with People, Sager shared memories from their last meeting before the Annie Hall star died on Saturday, October 11 in California. “I saw her two or three weeks ago, and she was very thin,” Sager recalled. “She had lost so much weight.”
Sager explained that she hadn’t seen Keaton as often this year because the actress spent several months in Palm Springs after her home was damaged by wildfires in California. “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 the physical changes, Sager emphasized Keaton’s uplifted spirit. “She was a magic light for everyone,” she said. “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.”
Their shared creativity extended to music. Sager co-wrote Keaton’s only solo single, “First Christmas,” released in November 2024. Reflecting on the experience, Sager said, “She so loved recording this song. She was almost childlike about it.”
“She was so authentic when she sang it,” Sager added. “I mean, she just sang it like she was singing it, and she was sort of acting it, you know, because she is a great actress. And then she’d start to cry when she was singing it. But she did such a beautiful job.”
After Keaton’s passing was announced, another close friend revealed that her decline came very suddenly. “It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit,” the friend shared to People.
The source also noted that Keaton’s final months were spent privately, surrounded by her closest family. “Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening,” they said.
No formal cause of death has been disclosed at this time.
