Diane Keaton was the life of the party until the very end.
The Oscar winner attended her “Something’s Gotta Give” co-star Jack Nicholson’s birthday bash before her death, according to her “Book Club” co-star Ed Begley Jr.
“I saw her fairly recently at Jack Nicholson’s birthday party, and it was good to see her there,” Begley Jr., 76, told People on Saturday, the day Keaton died at age 79.
Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson at the “Something’s Gotta Give” photocall during the Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin in 2004. Getty Images
Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson present an award at the 2007 Oscars. Getty Images
Ed Begley Jr. attends the 35th annual Environmental Media Awards gala on Oct. 11. Getty Images for The Environmental Media Association
“She loved Jack Nicholson, as I do, and Jack loved her,” Begley Jr. added. “So I don’t mean to speak for him. I’m sure he’s as devastated as I am by her loss.”
Begley Jr. called Keaton “a wonderful actress” and “wonderful lady,” noting that they also played siblings in the 1992 TV film “Running Mates.”
“So I’m glad I knew her these many years,” he added.
Jack Nicholson Diane Keaton in the 2003 rom-com “Something’s Gotta Give.” ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionNicholson turned 88 on April 22.
Begley Jr.’s rep exclusively told The Post that the party was at Nicholson’s home in Los Angeles in 2024, not this year. The rep added that Begley Jr. does not remember the exact date of the party.
Keaton and Nicholson famously starred in “Something’s Gotta Give.” The 2003 rom-com, directed by Nancy Meyers, follows two professionals who fall in love later in life.
Nicholson hasn’t publicly reacted to Keaton’s death yet.
Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson attend the Los Angeles Philharmonic Gala in October 2007. WireImageMeyers, for her part, remembered the late actress in a heartfelt Instagram tribute on Monday.
“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,” Meyers, 75, wrote. “As a filmmaker, I’ve lost a connection with an actress that one can only dream of.”
Nancy Meyers at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival. Getty Images for TCM“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,” the director added. “Thank you Di. I’ll miss you forever.”
In her 2011 memoir, “Then Again,” Keaton wrote that she initially thought “Something’s Gotta Give” would be a “doomed project,” but it ended up being her “favorite film.”
She also revealed that a check “with a lot of zeros arrived in the mail for my back-end percentage,” later learning that Nicholson gave her a portion of his percentage from the film’s gross.
Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson in “Something’s Gotta Give,” which follows two professionals who fall in love later in life. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Amanda Peet, Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton at the 2004 Berlinale International Film Festival. Getty ImagesKeaton, whose career spanned more than half a century, died Saturday in California, her family confirmed. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Friends of Keaton’s claimed her health “declined very suddenly” and she “lost so much weight” in the months leading up to her death.
Diane Keaton at her handprint and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in August 2022. Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty ImagesKeaton was last seen publicly in late 2024 during a holiday shopping trip.
After news of Keaton’s death broke, she was honored by her former co-stars including Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Mandy Moore, Woody Allen and Leonardo DiCaprio.
