Al Pacino's biggest regret is 'not marrying Diane Keaton' despite decade-long romance

Al Pacino's biggest regret in life is apparently not marrying Diane Keaton. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone, Al's character, marries Kay, Diane's character.

Keaton died on Saturday (11 October) aged 79. In 1971, she and her co-star Pacino started dating and had an on-and-off again relationship until 1987. Despite a romance that spanned more than a decade, the actor never proposed to Keaton. This is what eventually ended their relationship for good, as she told the now 85-year-old that if he didn't marry her, she would leave.

A friend of Pacino has now revealed that not marrying her is his biggest regret, as she was the "love of his life". They said: "Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane who he’s always called, 'an amazing woman'.

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The source added to the Daily Mail: "I know he will forever regret he didn’t make his move when he had the chance. For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, 'If it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over.' But sadly, now it is."

Despite this, Pacino and Keaton were not on speaking terms when she died. The source claimed: "Though he and Diane both lived in Beverly Hills, only a few miles from each other for years, they never spoke.

"I once asked him why, and he told me, 'There's no need to talk with each other. We said everything that needed to be said at the time'."

They added that he bought his Los Angeles home, which was so close to his ex-girlfriend's, to be closer to his children. "Al adores all his kids," the source said. "And although he preferred living in New York, he also purchased a home in Los Angeles just so he could spend more time on the West Coast with his children, who lived there."

Despite having dated a lot of women and having children, Pacino never married. Nor did Keaton. The pair met on the set of The Godfather, where he played Michael Corleone, the reluctant son of a mafia boss, and she played Kay Adams-Corleone, his second wife.

It is not known yet whether Pacino will attend her funeral or memorial service. Two people sure to be there are Keaton's children, Dexter, 27, and Duke, 22. When she was in her 50s, the actress chose to adopt two children, having never had children with anyone else.

Loads of tributes have poured in for the actress. Nancy Sinatra said Keaton's death was a "heartbreaking loss", while Reese Witherspoon said: "I'm going to try and get through this without tearing up, but I don't know if you guys heard that Diane Keaton passed today. Diane was really important. She was one of my first mentors in this business."

Leonardo DiCaprio, who appeared in Marvin's Room with Keaton, said she was a "legend, an icon and a truly kind human being". He wrote on Instagram: "Diane Keaton was one of a kind. Brilliant, funny, and unapologetically herself. A legend, an icon, and a truly kind human being. I had the honour of working with her at 18. She will be deeply missed."

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