Diane Keaton had her priorities in order.
Four years before the Annie Hall actress died at the age of 79 in her native California, she shared with pal Carol Kane what she valued most in her final years.
“I value a very strong friendship, like ours, which I’ve depended on for such a long time,” Diane told Carol in a 2021 Interview magazine feature. “I love to walk with my dog. These are the things I love. And I really do love nature. I love exploring California. I like driving to Arizona. I really enjoy seeing. I guess my favorite thing in life is the fact that I can see. It’s just so unbelievable.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Diane emphasized that “seeing” got her through life, something she learned from late mother Dorothy Deanne Keaton.
“It’s all about seeing,” she reasoned of the meaning of life. “That’s what makes me happy. I can see my mother. That’s the gift of all gifts.”
Indeed, although Diane—who was mom to kids Dexter, 29, and Duke, 25, through adoption—fostered a legendary acting career with credits in Book Club, The Family Stone and Annie Hall, the latter of which she won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 50th Annual Academy Awards, she had a much more humble view of what made her happy with life—and herself.
After all, when Ariana Grande also asked Diane in the same interview how she felt being “so f--king iconic,” the Because I Said So star demurred.
“It’s hard for me to deal with that,” Diane admitted. “I don’t really see it that way. I live with myself and I’m hardly iconic. I get up in the morning and it’s me again. I’m just another person saying, ‘Gee, I’d better feed the dog.’”
And when it came to life, Diane felt most fulfilled by her loved ones.
“My friends make my heart sing,” she continued. “My kids make my heart sing.”
Of course, Diane admitted that life was made better with a glass of wine, too, adding, “Also, Lillet Blanc makes my heart sing. With lots of ice.”
Keep reading to see Diane’s life in photos…
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