Diane Keaton's ex Woody Allen issues heartbreaking statement after her tragic death

Woody Allen has finally released a statement following the death of his rumoured ex-girlfriend and frequent collaborator Diane Keaton, following her death at the age of 79 on Saturday (October 11). It has been claimed that the pair "remained friends" after they first crossed paths in the late 1960s, which reportedly led to a romantic relationship. Now, the controversial 89-year-old filmmaker has shared a touching essay about the star as he mourned her loss.

In the essay published byThe Free Press on Sunday (October 12), he wrote: "It's grammatically incorrect to say 'most unique', but all rules of grammar, and I guess anything else, are suspended when talking about Diane Keaton. Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered."

Allen and Keaton first met in 1969 when she auditioned for a role in his Broadway production of Play It Again, Sam. She eventually landed a role in the stage production and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

He continued, "If she was less than enthusiastic, I tried to use her criticism to reedit and come away with something she felt better about." The Oscar-winning actress worked on several films with the director, including the 1977 movie Annie Hall, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Allen added: "A few days ago, the world was a place that included Diane Keaton. Now it's a world that does not. Hence, it's a drearier world. Still, there are her movies. And her great laugh still echoes in my head."

Keaton has a complex relationship with her close pal and rumoured ex over the years leading up to her passing. News of her death in California broke on Saturday with the Los Angeles Fire Department responding to a medical call at the late star's home at 8:08am, according to TMZ.

An individual had been transported to a hospital by ambulance, with sources later confirming that it had been Keaton. When the news broke, Allen was said to be "extremely distraught and surprised and upset" over the shocking news, an insider told People.

The two stars often worked together, with the late actress appearing in eight of his movies throughout her career. In 1977, Keaton took on the leading role alongside Allen in his film Annie Hall, which is believed to have been based on their past romantic relationship.

Keaton later refuted these claims, telling the New York Times: "It's not true, but there are elements of truth in it." The pair are believed to have dated before Annie Hall and lived together in a penthouse that offered a view of Central Park in the Big Apple.

In her 2011 memoir, Keaton reflected on their relationship, writing: "We shared a love of torturing each other with our failures. He could sling out the insults, and so could I... His insights into my character were dead-on - duh! - hilarious. I had him pegged as a cockroach you couldn't kill."

Elsewhere in the book, she also penned: "I miss Woody. He'd cringe if he knew how much I care about him, but I'm smart enough not to broach the subject. I know he's borderline repulsed by the grotesque nature of my affection. What am I supposed to do? I still love him." Despite their romantic relationship coming to an end, their close friendship did not.