Diane Keaton's Health Battles: Carcinoma, Bulimia and More

Diane Keaton's death at age 79 sent shockwaves through Hollywood, but the actress had multiple health battles prior to her passing.

Diane Keaton Had Skin Cancer

The Godfather star was diagnosed with the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, in her early 20s.

"Back in my 20s I didn’t pay attention much," she told the Los Angeles Times in 2015. "I didn’t research and didn’t really care and that was stupid because it’s dogged me my entire adult life, even recently. I didn’t start sun care until my 40s."

Decades later she was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in her cheek, undergoing two surgeries to remove it. She began advocating for sun protection.

"It’s a family history," she told the outlet. "I remember my Auntie Martha had skin cancer so bad they removed her nose. My father had basal skin cancer and my brother had it. It’s tricky with this skin cancer. That’s why you’ve got to put the sunblock on."

Diane Keaton Battled Bulimia

Aside form her cancer diagnoses, Keaton revealed in a 2014 interview with Dr. Oz that she also battled an eating disorder.

"All I did was feed my hunger, so I am an addict," she said. "It's true. I'm an addict in recovery, I'll always be an addict. I have an addictive nature to me."

The Academy Award winning actress explained that her disordered eating began after she was asked to lose 10 pounds for a Broadway role.

"Typical dinner was a bucket of chicken, several orders of fries with blue cheese and ketchup, a couple TV dinners, a quart of soda, pounds of candy, a whole cake and three banana cream pies," she recalled at the time. "Somebody mentioned that I seemed to have some mental issues, so I went to an analyst. I would go five days a week."

Diane Keaton Cause of Death

Keaton's family confirmed her death to People, asking for privacy. While no official cause of death has been revealed, a friend of the late actress told the outlet that her health "declined very suddenly."

"[It] was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her. It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit," the source said. "In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening."