Al Pacino is said to be filled with regret for not marrying Diane Keaton after years of an on and off romance that began in the 1970s. Keaton, who died Saturday in California at 79, played Pacino’s on-screen partner in “The Godfather” trilogy, and their real-life relationship began in 1974. The two split in 1990 after Keaton reportedly gave him an ultimatum about marriage that he turned down.
Pacino wishes he had married Keaton
Pacino, now 85, wishes he had married her, a source told the Daily Mail.
“I know he will forever regret he didn’t make his move when he had the chance,” a friend of the actor said. “For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, ‘If it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over.’ But sadly, now it is.”
“Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane, who he’s always called, ‘an amazing woman,’” the friend added.
Also read: Diane Keaton dies at 79: Inside Godfather actor’s battle against her health struggles
According to the source, Pacino and Keaton did not stay in contact even though they lived near each other in Beverly Hills.
“I once asked him why, and he told me, ‘There’s no need to talk with each other. We said everything that needed to be said at the time,’” the source said.
Keaton spoke about her relationship with Pacino in a 2017 interview with the Sunday Times, saying that marriage would not have worked for them.
“I didn’t even want him to propose. I just thought maybe he would marry me, eventually,” she recalled.
“I thought, ‘Don’t even propose — let’s just do it,’” she continued. “But that never happened, and that is a blessing for both of us. It would have been a nightmare for him.”
She said they were too different to make it last.
“We’re very eccentric, he needed a woman that was going to take care of him, I needed a man who would take care of me … It was just very important that we left each other alone, said goodbye,” she shared. “But it wasn’t my choice.”
Keaton once said she fell deeply for Pacino while filming the first “Godfather” movie.
“I was mad for him. Charming, hilarious, a nonstop talker,” Keaton told People in 2017. “There was an aspect of him that was like a lost orphan, like this kind of crazy idiot savant. And oh, gorgeous!”
Keaton never married but adopted two children in her 50s, daughter Dexter, 29, and son Duke, 25. Pacino has never married either and has four children: Julie Marie, 35, twins Anton and Olivia, 24, and son Roman, 2.
Pacino honored Keaton at the AFI Life Achievement Award
In 2017, Pacino honored Keaton at the AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony.
“You’re an artist, Di,” he said. “You’re a great artist. … I love you, forever.”
Keaton’s ex, Woody Allen, who dated her in the early 1970s and collaborated with her on several films, is also said to be “extremely distraught” over her death.
