Lauren Graham is honoring the memory of her friend and co-star Diane Keaton, who passed away on Saturday, October 11, at age 79. The “Gilmore Girls” star, 58, shared a touching Instagram post featuring a handwritten letter Keaton once sent her.
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)The tribute comes at a fitting time, as reruns of “Gilmore Girls” now air every day on the Hallmark Channel — a network known for celebrating warmth, nostalgia, and heartfelt stories, much like the bond Graham and Keaton shared.
The two actresses worked together in the 2007 romantic comedy Because I Said So, where Keaton played Daphne, a loving but overbearing mother to three daughters — Milly (Mandy Moore), Mae (Piper Perabo), and Maggie (Graham).
Keaton’s Touching Note For Graham
In the heartfelt note, Keaton wrote, “Please don’t be a stranger. Please invite me to one of your dinners. And finally… please hug yourself in the morning, and remember to write your book, and don’t let yourself get anxious, you big winner, you.” She ended it sweetly, signing, “Love, Di.”
Graham reflected on the letter’s meaning in her caption, writing, “A few lines from a letter Diane Keaton wrote me years ago, when writing a book was just a dream of mine. Her work as an actor was an inspiration to me. Her encouragement changed my life.”
Mandy Moore & Hollywood Friends Pay Tribute
Mandy Moore, who also played one of Keaton’s onscreen daughters, honored the late actress with her own emotional post.
“They say don’t meet your heroes but I got to work with one of mine and even call her ‘mom’ for a few months. An honor of a lifetime,” Moore, 41, wrote alongside a cozy behind-the-scenes photo from Because I Said So.
“What an incandescent human Di is and was,” she continued. “I am so sad she’s gone for all the reasons but also because it felt like she’d be here forever, dazzling us with her talent and charm (and her style, c’mon)!!! One of the very best to ever do it.”
Keaton’s decades-long career redefined American cinema. She first rose to fame as Kay Adams, the wife of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone, in The Godfather trilogy and won an Oscar for her title role in Annie Hall.
Andreas Rentz/Getty ImagesShe became a fixture in romantic comedies and family dramas, including “Baby Boom”, “Father of the Bride”, “The First Wives Club”, “The Family Stone”, “Something’s Gotta Give”, and “Love the Coopers”. More recently, she charmed audiences in “Book Club” and its sequel, “Book Club: The Next Chapter”.
Those who worked with Keaton often described her as generous and inspiring.
The title of the article needs to be trimmed. Of course she wrote the letter before she died. It’s not common for people to write letters after they die. Aside from that, it just seems strange to live in a world without Diane Keaton. It just doesn’t feel right. There are just certain people who are anchors and she was one. You expect that she’s going to show up in a new film at some point or on TV. Now, she’s just a memory of work already done. I feel bad for her kids. They never had a father, and they’re not even 30 and they no longer have their mom. It’s really too young to be without parents. So sad.