Goldie Hawn Breaks Down Remembering the Joy of Being Diane Keaton’s Neighbor: ‘Just the Greatest Thing’

Goldie Hawn delivered a deeply moving tribute to her close friend, legendary movie icon Diane Keaton, at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala. Hawn and Sarah Paulson attended the December 3 event in Los Angeles to honor the late actress, with “Good Morning America” later sharing a clip of Hawn’s emotional speech.

Hawn Breaks Down Remembering Life as Keaton’s Neighbor

Hawn admitted she struggled to write her remarks. “I write, and then I cry. And then I write, and then I cry,” she told the audience. She reflected on the comfort of living so close to Keaton, with her house perched just above her friend’s.

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“It was just the greatest thing knowing that she was just below me,” she said. She recalled tending to her rose garden and glancing toward Keaton’s home, often wondering, “What in the world is she doing now?”

The Moment Hawn Learned of Keaton’s Death

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Hawn said Keaton was constantly in her thoughts. “She was always on my mind. She was so close to me,” she shared. She then described the moment she learned of Keaton’s death.

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“I happened to learn when I was in my backyard. And I went over to my backyard, to my rose garden, and I just looked down at her house and said, ‘She can’t be gone, she just cannot be gone. No one like that should ever die,” the “Overboard” star said.

Keaton died on October 11 at age 79 from pneumonia.

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Hawn previously posted a tribute on Instagram, writing, “How do we say goodbye? What words can come to mind when your heart is broken? You never liked praise, so humble, but now you can’t tell me to ‘shut up,’ honey. There was, and will be, no one like you.”

Hawn Celebrates Keaton’s Creative Spirit and Legacy

Hawn praised Keaton’s talent and vibrant personality throughout the speech. “She just brought so much joy, so much life, so much exuberance. She was like lightning in a bottle. There wasn’t anything that she couldn’t do, there wasn’t any world that she couldn’t live in.”

The 80-year-old highlighted Keaton’s work beyond acting, noting that she also wrote books, produced projects, and directed. Hawn described her friend as both a force of nature and a creative powerhouse.

A Final Farewell From a Friend Who Loved Her Deeply

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Hawn closed her tribute by calling Keaton a star in every sense.

“I think that she is a star. And if we can have a fantasy, which I do, that stars are really people who died a long time ago that did something really good for the world, I think maybe that’s where she is right now,” she said.

Her voice trembled as she stepped away from the podium, allowing Paulson to continue. The room fell quiet, moved by a moment that captured the depth of a friendship built on admiration, history, and unconditional love.

Keaton’s legacy lives on through her body of work, her influence across generations of performers, and the tributes from friends who continue to honor the light she brought into their lives.

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