Goldie Hawn is paying tribute to her beloved friend and co-star, Diane Keaton.
“Diane, we’re not ready to say goodbye to you yet,” Hawn, 79, shared on Instagram on Saturday, October 11, just hours after the news of the celebrated actress’ passing at the age of 79 in California.
“You’ve left a magical trail of fairy dust, filled with radiant memories and moments we can hardly fathom,” she expressed in the heartfelt post, accompanying a beautiful black and white image of Keaton adorned in one of her characteristic hats and scarves. “How can we find the right words to say farewell? What can be conveyed when one’s heart feels shattered? You always shunned accolades and remained humble, but now you can’t tell me to stop, dear. There was, and will be, no one else like you.”
She continued, “You captured the hearts of many and shared your brilliance with millions, creating films that made us laugh and weep in unique ways only you could evoke. I feel so fortunate to have worked on The First Wives Club with you, beginning our days with coffee in the makeup trailer, filled with laughter and joy, all the way to the last day of shooting. It truly was a roller coaster of love.”
The Overboard star elaborated on the dreams they had for their future together.
“We had planned to grow old side by side, and eventually live together with our girlfriends,” she added in the poignant post. “While we didn’t get to share a home, we did age together. Who knows… perhaps in another life.”
She concluded, “Shine your fairy dust up there, my friend. I’m going to miss you so tremendously.”
The news of Keaton’s passing was announced on Saturday, October 11. A representative for her family informed People that she passed away at her home in California, requesting privacy during this sensitive time.
Hawn and Keaton, both 79, starred together in the 1996 movie The First Wives Club, alongside Bette Midler. They portrayed Elise Elliot (Hawn), Annie Paradis (Keaton), and Brenda Cushman (Midler), with a supporting cast including Maggie Smith, Sarah Jessica Parker, Stockard Channing, Dan Hedaya, Victor Garber, Stephen Collins, Elizabeth Berkley, and Marcia Gay Harden.
In 2015, Hawn discussed the reasons behind the absence of a sequel to the film despite ongoing requests from fans.
“We were all women of a certain age, and we each took a salary cut to make it happen, allowing the studio to meet its financial needs,” she shared with Harvard Business Review. “We accepted a smaller initial payment and less than usual on the back end. The movie was incredibly successful, and we even graced the cover of Time magazine.”
She elaborated, “Yet two years later, when the studio proposed a sequel, they offered us the same deal again. We were back to square one. If three men had been involved, they would never have been offered the same pay without an increase. Unfortunately, the culture has always feared women’s movies.”
However, things appeared to shift in November 2020 when Hawn teased a reunion for a sequel.
“The script is pending approval, and we’ve just received another draft, so I need to check that out,” Hawn, 79, shared with Entertainment Tonight on November 18. “We’re making progress, that’s for sure.”
The proposed sequel would have featured the original trio of women, their children, and grandchildren, revolving around a storyline after the passing of the man they each married in a department store. In 2024, Midler commented to People that the script was stuck in “development hell.”
“It’s in that void where worthwhile scripts seem to perish,” she said. “Fifteen years is the limit, I believe. After being in development for that long, you can only throw your hands up in exasperation.”
Midler also shared her tribute to Keaton on October 11, stating, “The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has passed away,” she wrote on Instagram. “I can’t express how profoundly sad this makes me.”
“She was incredibly funny, a true original, and lacked the competitiveness that might be expected from someone of her status,” Midler added. “What you observed was simply who she was… oh, la, lala!”
Hawn’s daughter, Kate Hudson, also offered a heartfelt tribute to her mother’s departed co-star.
“We love you dearly, Diane ❤️🕊️,” she captioned a memorable scene from The First Wives Club on Instagram on the day Diane’s death was reported.
