Al Pacino is said to regret not marrying Diane Keaton after their several-year romance that began in the 1970s. Keaton, who died Saturday in California at age 79, played Pacino’s on-screen partner in “The Godfather” trilogy, and their real-life relationship began in 1974. The couple separated in 1990 when Keaton reportedly gave her an ultimatum about marriage which she rejected.
Pacino wishes he had married Keaton
A source told the Daily Mail that Pacino, now 85, wishes he had married her.
A friend of the actor said, “I know he will always regret that he did not take action when he got the chance.” “For years after he and Diane separated, Al used to say, ‘If that were the case, it’s never too late to make up.’ But sadly it is now.”
The friend added, “Looking back, Al admits that the love of his life was Diane, whom he always called ‘a wonderful woman.'”
Also Read: Diane Keaton passes away at 79: Inside The Godfather actor’s fight against his health struggles
According to the source, Pacino and Keaton have not been in touch despite living near each other in Beverly Hills.
The source said, “I once asked him why and he told me, ‘There is no need to talk to each other. We said everything that needed to be said at that time.’
Keaton spoke about her relationship with Pacino in an interview with the Sunday Times in 2017, saying that marriage would not work for her.
She recalled, “I didn’t even want him to propose. I just thought that maybe he would marry me eventually.”
“I thought, ‘Don’t even propose — let’s just do it,'” she continued. “But that never happened, and that’s a blessing for both of us. It would have been a nightmare for him.”
She said they were too different to maintain.
“We’re very crazy, he needed a woman who would take care of him, I needed a man who would take care of me… It was very important that we leave each other alone, say goodbye,” she shared. “But it wasn’t my choice.”
Keaton once said that she fell in love with Pacino during the shooting of the first “Godfather” film.
“I was crazy about him. Charming, hilarious, non-stop talker,” Keaton told People in 2017.
Keaton never married but adopted two children at the age of 50, daughter Dexter, 29, and son Duke, 25. Pacino has never married and has four children: Julie Marie, 35, twins Anton and Olivia, 24, and son Roman, 2.
Pacino honors Keaton at AFI Life Achievement Award
In 2017, Pacino honored Keaton at the AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony.
“You’re an artist, Di,” he said. “You are a great artist… I will always love you.”
Keaton’s ex, Woody Allen, who dated her in the early 1970s and worked with her in several films, was also said to be “deeply disturbed” by her death.