Fans and colleagues are heartbroken over the death of iconic entertainer Diane Keaton. Hours after news of Keaton’s death emerged, Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” guest star Melissa Gilbert shared a touching tribute to her on social media.
Melissa Gilbert Idolized Diane Keaton
Gilbert posted an old black-and-white photo of Keaton and included a lengthy caption with her Instagram post. She began, “I am so, so sad to hear that Diane Keaton has passed. It seems unreal to me that someone so vital and vibrant is gone.”
The “Little House on the Prairie” alum continued, “I know that she will live on through her extraordinary body of work and, most importantly, through her beloved children.”
“To imagine a world without her here seems…impossible,” Gilbert admitted.
She met Keaton once, she wrote, when she was just 17 years old. Gilbert always hoped she would have an opportunity to meet her again.
Gilbert explained, “People often ask me who my idol is and I’ve never really answered truthfully because I hoped our paths would cross again…and I didn’t want her to know that she was my idol. So much so that I knew I’d gush and say something embarrassing.”
“I kept it to myself, so that if we ever did meet, she wouldn’t know what a dufus I am in advance.”
Instead, Gilbert explained, “My giddiness and idolatry would roll out slowly (hopefully) so that I might be able to chat with her like a (semi) normal person for a minute.”
She added that she loved everything about Keaton, including her style, versatility as an actress, her independence, smile, and “Her whole being.” Gilbert also admitted she had “so many questions for her…that I guess won’t be answered this lifetime.”
“I will simply say ‘good night sweet woman. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest’ with undying love, me (your biggest fan),” concluded Gilbert.
Fans Loved Gilbert’s Tribute & Mourned Along With Her
Many of Gilbert’s followers added comments mourning Keaton’s death themselves, and quite a few noted how much they loved Gilbert’s tribute.
“Melissa, what a beautiful tribute. I loved her too! Everything about her! My heart broke today,” one fan shared.
“What?! Oh no. I didn’t know she was ill. Her posts were always so vibrant and uplifting. This is sad, so sad to hear. I loved all her movies,” another fan added.
“What a beautiful uncensored tribute,” someone else commented.
“Sad day indeed. Such a classy and talented woman,” read an additional comment.
People reported that Keaton died on October 11 at the age of 79. No cause of death has been made available. However, the media outlet noted, the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed to them they were called to Keaton’s home Saturday morning and transported a “79-year-old woman to a local hospital.”
