Diane Keaton's Ex, Al Pacino, Has A Regret After Her Death at 79

Diane Keaton's death has left a deep void in Hollywood, and in the heart of her most famous former flame. Now, Al Pacino is speaking out about the one thing he wishes he'd done differently.

A lifetime of memories, a history soaked in passion, heartbreak, and the one that got away. Now, as Diane Keaton takes her final bow at age 79, the man who once captured her heart, Al Pacino, is grappling with a truth he can no longer outrun.

The legendary actor, now 85, has finally broken his silence. Through a close friend, Pacino confessed the aching regret he has carried for decades, a regret that has roared back in the wake of Keaton's death on October 11, 2025.

The insider revealed, "Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane," adding that Pacino always described her as "an amazing woman."

Missed Chances, Lingering Regrets

Despite a parade of lovers and a celebrated career, Pacino's heart never truly left Keaton. His friend says, "I know he will forever regret he didn't make his move when he had the chance."

Years after they parted ways, the Oscar-winning actor reportedly still believed in second chances, often murmuring, "If it's meant to be, it's never too late for a do-over." But time, as it cruelly does, ran out.

Pacino built a life surrounded by his children, whom he adores, and a bi-coastal existence split between New York and Los Angeles, where he bought a home to stay close to them. For years, he and Keaton lived just miles apart in Beverly Hills, but never spoke. The emotional distance? Immeasurable.

When asked why he never reached out to Keaton again, the friend said Pacino responded simply, "There's no need to talk with each other. We said everything that needed to be said at the time."

The Goodbye That Shattered Her

In her 2011 memoir, "Then Again," Keaton wrote with heartbreaking honesty about her breakup with Pacino. Their romance ended just as her beloved father was succumbing to brain cancer, a double loss that would haunt her for years.

Two months after her father's death, during a therapy session, Pacino laid bare the truth. She said, "He never had any intention of marrying me." With those words, the dream crumbled.

The actress watched as he walked into the blazing California sun, never once turning back. That very day, he flew to the George Washington Bridge in New York. At Snedens Landing, Pacino was greeted not by Keaton, but by his loyal driver, Luke, and dog, Lucky.

Tokens of a Lost Love

All that remained from their years together were four deeply personal relics:

• Eight pink slips from the Shangri-La Hotel (1987) reading, "Call from Al."
• A page of sheet music for "All I Have to Do Is Dream" with "To Di" inscribed at the top and "Love Al" at the bottom.
• A birthday card, marked simply "Love Al."
• And most heartbreaking of all—a handwritten letter dated December 1989.

The letter partly read:

"Dear Di, I am feeling uncomfortably lonely more than I have in many, many moons. I don’t know why this is so. It's perhaps being in a foreign country and not being able to speak the language; you could say that’s one of the reasons. But mainly it's being away from you and what we have together."

He concluded:

"Thank you for your note. It helped me. My thoughts are with you, and I think about you often. Love, Al.”

"I Love You, Forever"

In 2017, at the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award ceremony honoring Keaton, Pacino stepped up to the podium, his voice cracking with emotion. There, in front of Hollywood royalty and millions of viewers, he credited the actress for being a great artist.

He also made a rare and deeply personal declaration, "I love you, forever."

But Keaton had already made peace with their bittersweet past. In her book, she revealed how she once gave Pacino a clear ultimatum, "Marry me, or at least commit to the possibility."

For a year, they rekindled, then unraveled once more, caught in a familiar rhythm of passion and collapse. She noted how Pacino never wanted to marry her, and how she never stopped insisting. Keaton wrote, "I wanted more, lots of more. Tons. I wanted him to want me as much as I wanted him."

A Lifelong Crush, a Dangerous Driver

Diane Keaton, never one to shy away from raw truth, often reminisced about her famous ex. In 2017, she told a publication that she "had a crush" on Pacino as far back as 1971, when they worked together on "The Godfather." She confessed:

"For me the 'Godfathers,' all three of them, were about one thing — Al. It was as simple as that."

She was drawn in by his "killer Roman nose," which she said was "long like a cucumber," and his "kinetic" energy.

Their early courtship? Wild. She taught him how to drive, only to be terrified by his refusal to stop slamming the gas pedal. Later, they escaped to Pacino's Hudson River home, savoring moments of intimacy, laughter, and raw connection.

After they became a couple, she recalled, "I was mad for him. Charming, hilarious, a nonstop talker," adding, "There was an aspect of him that was like a lost orphan, like this kind of crazy idiot savant. And oh, gorgeous!"

Not the Love of Her Life—but Close

Keaton confessed to being "taken with Al" from the start. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she later admitted that Pacino wasn't "the love of [her] life." He was, as she put it, "the love of that time of my life."

Each man she dated, she explained, belonged to a decade: Woody Allen in her 20s, Warren Beatty in her 30s, and Pacino teetering between her late 30s and early 40s.

One of the times she spoke of him publicly, she said with a mix of wistfulness and finality, "I never see Al now."

Now, she never will. And Pacino? He'll have to live with that forever.