Nancy Meyers reflects on loss of ‘sister’ Diane Keaton ‘48 hours’ after death

Nancy Meyers is paying tribute to her longtime friend and collaborator Diane Keaton, remembering the Oscar-winning actress as “brilliant,” “fearless,” and unlike anyone else.

The celebrated writer-director, who worked with Keaton on several beloved films including Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), and Something’s Gotta Give (2003), shared an emotional message on Instagram Monday, Oct. 13, alongside a photo of Keaton from Something’s Gotta Give.

“These past 48 hours have not been easy,” Meyers, 75, began. 

“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.”

She went on to reflect on their four-decade friendship, writing, “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.”

Meyers said she and Keaton shared a deep creative understanding. 

“We all search for that someone who really gets us, right? Well, with Diane, I believe we mutually had that,” she wrote. “She really got me, so writing for her made me better because I felt so secure in her hands.”

The director described how Keaton’s talent went far beyond delivering lines. 

“I knew how vulnerable she could be. And I knew how hilarious she could be, not only with dialogue (which she said word for word as written but managed to always make it sound improvised) but she could be funny sitting at a dinner table or just walking into a room,” Meyers recalled.

She noted that Keaton brought that same dedication to every filmmaker she worked with. 

“She did exactly the same for Woody Allen and Warren Beatty because that is what she does. She goes deep,” Meyers added. “She made everything better. Every setup, every day, in every movie, I watched her give it her all.”

Meyers shared a touching memory from filming Something’s Gotta Give, recalling how Keaton gave her full emotional energy to every scene. 

“When I needed her to cry in scene after scene… she went at it hard and then somehow made it funny,” she wrote. 

“And I remember she would sometimes spin in a kind of goofy circle before a take to purposely get herself off balance or whatever she needed to shed so she could be in the moment.”

The filmmaker concluded her tribute by writing, “She was fearless, she was like nobody ever, she was born to be a movie star, her laugh could make your day and for me, knowing her and working with her — changed my life. Thank you Di. I’ll miss you forever.”

Their creative bond was mutual. 

While accepting her Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy in 2004 for Something’s Gotta Give, Keaton publicly credited Meyers for “rediscovering” her.

“Let’s face it: Getting to play a woman to love at 57 is like reaching for the stars with a step ladder. But I know I got lucky,” Keaton said at the time. 

“And isn’t it ironic that all my luck was to have Nancy give me a chance to play a woman to love one more bittersweet time?”

Diane Keaton died in California on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the age of 79. 

A spokesperson confirmed the news, sharing that “there are no further details available at this time, and her family has asked for privacy in this moment of great sadness.”