For Bette Midler, Diane Keaton will forever remain a cherished friend above all else. In the wake of Keaton's passing at the age of 79, the "First Wives Club" star took to Instagram on October 11 to share a heartfelt tribute to her late co-star.
"The brilliant, beautiful, and extraordinary Diane Keaton has passed away," Midler wrote. "I can't begin to express how unbearably sorrowful this makes me. She was hilariously funny, a complete original, and utterly devoid of guile or any of the competitiveness one might expect from a star of her caliber."
The 79-year-old actress went on to add, "What you saw was exactly who she was...oh, la, lala!" Midler and Keaton famously shared the screen alongside Goldie Hawn in the 1996 hit "First Wives Club," a film that celebrated the bond between three divorcées. When the trio was honored with a Women in Film Crystal Award for their stellar performance, Midler referred to Keaton as her "dear friend."
"In my heart, I suspect this award isn't truly for our work in 'First Wives Club'—though it was brilliant," Midler remarked while accepting the accolade. "Rather, it's because everyone was overjoyed to see three actresses of a certain age still possess the magic to deliver a $100 million box office hit, just like the testosterone-fueled tyrants of cinema."
In recent years, Midler had been eager to reunite with Keaton and Hawn, both 79, for a comedy titled "Family Jewels." However, the three-time Golden Globe winner revealed in 2024 that the project had languished in "development hell."
"It's in the abyss where all good scripts go to die," Midler quipped to People magazine. "Fifteen years is my limit, I think. When a project has been stuck in development for that long, you kind of throw up your hands in despair."
Keaton passed away in California, her representative confirmed to the outlet on October 11. "There are no further details available at this time," the spokesperson shared, "and her family has requested privacy during this moment of profound grief."
