Al Pacino, Diane Keaton’s former partner, expresses regret following her death at 79.
Diane Keaton’s death on October 11, 2025, at the age of 79, has sent waves of grief through Hollywood — but for Al Pacino, the loss has stirred something even deeper: a profound and long-standing regret. Pacino, now 85, has remained largely private about his past relationships, but following Keaton’s passing, he shared — through a close friend — a painful truth he has carried for decades. “Looking back, Al admits Diane was the love of his life,” the insider revealed. “He always said she was an incredible woman.”
Their relationship, which began during the filming of The Godfather in the early 1970s, was filled with passion, intensity, and emotional ups and downs. Keaton once described herself as “mad for him” and was captivated by his energy, humor, and charm. But despite the strong connection, Pacino struggled with long-term commitment — a reality that ultimately ended their romance.
In her 2011 memoir Then Again, Keaton recalled giving Pacino an ultimatum: “Marry me, or at least commit to the possibility.” When he couldn’t, the relationship unraveled — at a time when Keaton was also grieving her father’s death. It was a devastating double blow. Pacino later admitted, through private letters and confessions to friends, that he had never stopped thinking about her.
Though their paths continued separately, they lived just miles apart in Los Angeles for many years, yet never spoke again. “There’s no need to talk,” Pacino once told a friend. “We said everything that needed to be said.” Still, he kept personal items from their time together: handwritten letters, old notes, and tokens of a love that never fully faded.
One such letter, written in 1989 while he was abroad, read: “I am feeling uncomfortably lonely… Mainly it’s being away from you and what we have together.” He signed it, “Love, Al.” In 2017, during an American Film Institute tribute honoring Keaton, Pacino stood before a star-studded crowd and publicly told her: “I love you, forever.” It was one of the few times he openly spoke of their emotional bond. Keaton, for her part, admitted years later that although Pacino wasn’t the love of her life, he was the love of that time in her life — a powerful and unforgettable chapter. She once said, “I never see Al now,” and now, sadly, never will.
With her passing, Pacino is left to reflect on what might have been — and on a woman he never stopped caring for. Despite the decades that passed and the silence that settled between them, the emotional imprint of Diane Keaton remains with him. And now, that one lingering regret — of not committing when he had the chance — may be one of the most enduring of his life.
Diane Keaton’s death on October 11, 2025, at the age of 79, has sent waves of grief through Hollywood — but for Al Pacino, the loss has stirred something even deeper: a profound and long-standing regret. Pacino, now 85, has remained largely private about his past relationships, but following Keaton’s passing, he shared — through a close friend — a painful truth he has carried for decades. “Looking back, Al admits Diane was the love of his life,” the insider revealed. “He always said she was an incredible woman.”
Their relationship, which began during the filming of The Godfather in the early 1970s, was filled with passion, intensity, and emotional ups and downs. Keaton once described herself as “mad for him” and was captivated by his energy, humor, and charm. But despite the strong connection, Pacino struggled with long-term commitment — a reality that ultimately ended their romance.
In her 2011 memoir Then Again, Keaton recalled giving Pacino an ultimatum: “Marry me, or at least commit to the possibility.” When he couldn’t, the relationship unraveled — at a time when Keaton was also grieving her father’s death. It was a devastating double blow. Pacino later admitted, through private letters and confessions to friends, that he had never stopped thinking about her.
Though their paths continued separately, they lived just miles apart in Los Angeles for many years, yet never spoke again. “There’s no need to talk,” Pacino once told a friend. “We said everything that needed to be said.” Still, he kept personal items from their time together: handwritten letters, old notes, and tokens of a love that never fully faded.
One such letter, written in 1989 while he was abroad, read: “I am feeling uncomfortably lonely… Mainly it’s being away from you and what we have together.” He signed it, “Love, Al.” In 2017, during an American Film Institute tribute honoring Keaton, Pacino stood before a star-studded crowd and publicly told her: “I love you, forever.” It was one of the few times he openly spoke of their emotional bond. Keaton, for her part, admitted years later that although Pacino wasn’t the love of her life, he was the love of that time in her life — a powerful and unforgettable chapter. She once said, “I never see Al now,” and now, sadly, never will.
With her passing, Pacino is left to reflect on what might have been — and on a woman he never stopped caring for. Despite the decades that passed and the silence that settled between them, the emotional imprint of Diane Keaton remains with him. And now, that one lingering regret — of not committing when he had the chance — may be one of the most enduring of his life.
