**Diane Keaton’s Official Cause of Death Confirmed as Primary Bacterial Pneumonia**
*Published October 19, 2025, 11:28 a.m. ET*
Legendary actress Diane Keaton, the beloved Oscar winner, passed away on October 11 at the age of 79. The official cause of death was confirmed as primary bacterial pneumonia. RadarOnline.com has since learned that Keaton had been battling a myriad of health problems in the months leading up to her passing. Her family confirmed that she was cremated on October 14 in a small, private ceremony with no Hollywood guests.
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### A Life Marked by Health Challenges
Throughout her life, Keaton faced several health scares and was notably open about her battles with cancer. Sources reveal that the actress had been privately fighting a recurrence of the dreaded disease in recent years. The *Annie Hall* star endured years of recurring basal and squamous cell carcinoma, undergoing multiple procedures to remove lesions.
A close friend shared with Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack, “She never wanted anyone’s pity. Diane handled it with humor, grace, and total privacy.” Friends also feared that her ongoing cancer struggles had weakened her immune system, making her more vulnerable to the fatal infection.
“She lived on her own terms,” another longtime friend told Shuter. “And she left the same way – quietly, bravely, and with that dry Diane wit.”
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### Diane Keaton’s History of Skin Cancer
Keaton had openly admitted to initially taking her skin care for granted and only began taking sun protection seriously in her 40s. Remarkably, she was first diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma at just 21 years old.
Reflecting on her battles in 2015, Keaton shared, “It’s a family history. I remember my Auntie Martha had skin cancer so bad they removed her nose. My father had basal skin cancer, and my brother had it.” She urged others to take precautions, warning, “It’s tricky with this skin cancer. That’s why you’ve got to put the sunblock on.”
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### The Actress’s Secret Battle with Dementia
Following her death, Radar reported that Keaton had also been quietly suffering from dementia for several years. A source close to the actress told NewsNation, “She was battling it for years.”
The disease notably affected her ability to remember lines. During the 2022 filming of the romantic comedy *Maybe I Do*, Keaton reportedly needed her dialogue fed to her through an earpiece.
An on-set source described the experience as heartbreaking: “William H. Macy was very supportive, but it was also frustrating because if there was any stopping—a bathroom break, a meal, anything—it was back to square one. She was just so lovely.”
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### A Family History of Dementia
Dementia was sadly not new to Keaton’s family. Her mother, Dorothy Deanne, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease—a progressive brain disorder that can be hereditary.
Keaton wrote about the heartbreak of watching her mother’s decline in her 2011 memoir, *Then Again*. Deanne suffered from Alzheimer’s for 15 years before passing away in 2008.
“Goodbye to names of places; goodbye to… recognizing me as her daughter,” Keaton recalled poignantly.
In her memoir, Keaton detailed how her mother kept journals documenting her suffering. Deanne’s writing regressed from full paragraphs to struggling with sentences, eventually only able to write numbers before losing the ability to recall anything to write down.
One poignant journal entry from 1993 read:
*”This is the day I heard I have the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease. Scary.”*
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Diane Keaton’s resilience and grace in facing both health and personal challenges remain a testament to her remarkable spirit. She will be deeply missed by fans and loved ones alike.
https://radaronline.com/p/diane-keaton-hollywood-icon-cancer-pneumonia-death-79/
