Al Pacino is honoring Diane Keaton, his former co-star and ex-girlfriend, following her death.
Keaton died of pneumonia on Oct. 11. She was 79.
On Thursday, the “Scarface” star, 85, broke his silence about the beloved Oscar winner in a touching message shared with Deadline.
“When I first heard the news, I was shaken,” Pacino said. “Diane was my partner, my friend, someone who brought me happiness and on more than one occasion influenced the direction of my life. Though over 30 years has [passed] since we were together, the memories remain vivid, and with her passing, they have returned with a force that is both painful and moving.”
Pacino and Keaton famously starred as Michael and Kay Corleone in “The Godfather” film franchise. Off screen, the former couple was together on and off from the early 1970s until they called it quits for good in 1990.
The longtime actor, who was in Paris shooting a film with French director Luc Besson when Keaton died, gushed over how the late star “lived without limits.”
“Everything she touched carried her unmistakable energy,” Pacino continued. “She opened doors for others, inspired generations and embodied a once-in-a-lifetime gift that radiated through her work and her life.”
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Wrapping up his heartfelt tribute, the filmmaker added, “People will miss her, but more than that, they will remember her. She left a mark that cannot fade. She was unstoppable, resilient and above all, deeply human. I will always remember her. She could fly — and in my heart, she always will.”
Keaton previously recalled to People in 2017 how she first became infatuated with Pacino on the set of “The Godfather.”
“I was mad for him. Charming, hilarious, a nonstop talker,” she told the outlet. “There was an aspect of him that was like a lost orphan, like this kind of crazy idiot savant. And oh, gorgeous!”
Keaton said she and Pacino eventually parted ways after she gave him an ultimatum to marry her, which he declined.
“I worked hard on that one. I went about it in not a perfect way,” she explained.
Despite their split, the pair continued publicly supporting each other before Keaton’s death.
When Keaton received the American Film Institute’s 45th Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, Pacino lauded Keaton onstage, saying, “You’re a great artist. I love you forever.”
