Oscar-winning Actress Diane Keaton Dead at 79

Screen legend Diane Keaton was beloved for her role as Annie Hall in Woody Allen's film of the same name. Patrick T. FALLON / AFP/File
Screen legend Diane Keaton was beloved for her role as Annie Hall in Woody Allen's film of the same name. Patrick T. FALLON / AFP/File
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Oscar-winning Actress Diane Keaton Dead at 79

Screen legend Diane Keaton was beloved for her role as Annie Hall in Woody Allen's film of the same name. Patrick T. FALLON / AFP/File
Screen legend Diane Keaton was beloved for her role as Annie Hall in Woody Allen's film of the same name. Patrick T. FALLON / AFP/File

Actress Diane Keaton, known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977's "Annie Hall" and her role in "The Godfather" films, has died at age 79.

Details were not immediately available and Keaton's loved ones have asked for privacy, a family spokesperson told People, which said the actress died Saturday in California.

Keaton was a frequent collaborator of director Woody Allen, portraying the titular character in "Annie Hall," the charming girlfriend of Allen's comic Alvy Singer, AFP reported.

The film also garnered Oscars for best picture, best director and best original screenplay, cementing Keaton's place as one of the industry's top actresses and an offbeat style icon as well.

The actress made her mark co-starring in eight Allen movies, from "Play It Again, Sam" (1972) to "Manhattan" (1979) and "Manhattan Murder Mystery" (1993).

In "The Godfather" films, she played Kay Adams, the girlfriend and eventual wife of Al Pacino's Michael Corleone.

Apart from the Allen cannon, fans adored her portrayal as Steve Martin's wife in 1991 comedy "Father of the Bride," as the nervous and doting couple plan an extravagant wedding for their daughter.

Late in her career, Keaton starred in two movies about aging women: "Book Club" (2018), with its message that love has no age, and "Poms" (2019), the story of a terminally ill woman who moves to a retirement community to die, but winds up forming a cheerleading squad.

A BAFTA and Golden Globe winner, Keaton scored Oscar nominations three other times for best actress, for "Reds,Marvin's Room" and "Something's Gotta Give."

'Iconoclastic'

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, home of the Oscars, said in a tribute to Keaton: "Some actors play emotions. Diane Keaton lived inside them."

In 2017, she was honored with a Life Achievement Award by the American Film Institute, which called Keaton "unconventional, iconoclastic and left-of-center."

"I feel so lucky to have spent any time with this marvelous woman, and I'm heartbroken that she is gone," said actress Andie MacDowell, who starred in "Unstrung Hero" (1995), one of a handful of films Keaton directed.

Actress Bette Midler, who starred alongside Keaton in the 1996 comedy "The First Wives Club," wrote on Instagram that Keaton "was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was...oh, la, lala!"

Goldie Hawn, who was also in "The First Wives Club," said Keaton "left us with a trail of fairy dust, filled with particles of light and memories beyond imagination."

Infectious

As the Hollywood sexual harassment scandals detonated in late 2017, cascading from producer Harvey Weinstein to heavyweight actors like Kevin Spacey, old accusations of child sex abuse against Allen by his adoptive daughter Dylan resurfaced.

"Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him," Keaton tweeted in January 2018.

It was a rare encounter with controversy for the beloved actress.

Keaton said she had no "Me Too" complaints despite half a century in the film industry.

"Never. Maybe I just wasn't harassment material," she told AFP in a 2019 interview.

Keaton's infectious, sunny smile lit up the screen across the decades, and she made popular a quirky and liberating fashion sense first seen in "Annie Hall" that featured oversize hats and the lighthearted use of menswear items.

As for aging, Keaton said in the 2019 interview that life actually got easier.

"I think so, because what have you got to lose? It's like it's the truth. That's what it is. You face it, we talk about it," she said.

Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles on January 5, 1946, Keaton was romantically involved with Allen, Pacino and Warren Beatty, but never married.

"Most people in the movies get married at some point and then they divorce. But I've never even got married. I am (a) failure," she joked.

Did she regret it? "I don't think about it a lot but I'm aware of the fact that I'm unusual in that regard, and maybe I did miss out on something -- but then, nobody can have everything, right?"

She is survived by her two children, Dexter and Duke.



The New BTS Album Title and What to Know about the K-Pop Band’s Comeback

South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
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The New BTS Album Title and What to Know about the K-Pop Band’s Comeback

South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)
South Korean boy band BTS arrives for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (AFP)

After a nearly four-year musical hiatus, the K-pop giants BTS are back. Well, almost.

On Thursday morning, the entertainment company BigHit Music shared on social media that the septet — RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and j-hope — will release a new album on March 20 titled “ARIRANG.” It is their fifth album.

So, what can listeners expect?

In addition to news of the album title, the retailer Target announced it was partnering with BTS for exclusive preorder editions of “ARIRANG.” Starting at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, fans can preorder 10 different vinyl album editions. And for fans of CDs, there are two exclusive editions with collectible photocards.

Other than that, details are limited. BigHit Music shared a link on social media Thursday morning that led to WeVerse, the online fan platform owned by BTS management company HYBE. The webpage included international pre-order details for “ARIRANG” but appeared to omit all album artwork.

Earlier this month, BigHit Music shared a somewhat cryptic note on X: “March 20 comeback confirmed.” It wasn't much to go off, but it did further confirm news from last summer, when the group teased a world tour and announced that a new album would be released in the spring of 2026. At the time, they said they would begin working on the project in July 2025.

On Tuesday, the band announced a 2026-2027 world tour, kicking off in South Korea in April and running through March 2027 with over 70 dates across Asia, North America, South America, Australia and Europe.

This marks the group’s first headline performances since their 2021–22 Permission to Dance on Stage tour. See the full tour dates here.

All seven members of BTS were tasked with completing South Korea’s mandatory military service.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18-28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea.

The law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren’t subject to such privileges.

Rapper Suga was the last group member to be released — from his duties as a social service agent, an alternative to serving in the military that he reportedly chose because of a shoulder injury. That was in June 2025. The six others served in the army.

BTS tiered their enlistments, giving ample time for its members to focus on solo projects while the group was on a break.

Jin, the oldest member, was the first to enlist in 2022. He was also the first to be discharged, in June 2024.


Singer Julio Iglesias Accused of ‘Human Trafficking’ by Former Staff

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
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Singer Julio Iglesias Accused of ‘Human Trafficking’ by Former Staff

Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)
Spanish singer Julio Iglesias sings during the Telethon television program in Paris on December 6, 2003. (AFP)

A criminal complaint filed by two former employees of veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias accuses him of "human trafficking" and "forced labor", according to advocacy groups supporting the women.

The women allege they suffered sexual and other forms of abuse while working at Iglesias's properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021, Women's Link Worldwide and Amnesty International said late Tuesday.

The organizations said a complaint filed with Spanish prosecutors on January 5 outlined alleged acts that could be considered "a crime of human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor" and "crimes against sexual freedom".

Iglesias subjected them to "sexual harassment, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their ability to leave the home where they worked, and required them to work up to 16 hours a day without days off," according to testimony collected by the two groups.

One of the women, a Dominican identified as Rebeca, who was 22 at the time of the alleged incidents, said she spoke out to seek justice and set an example for other employees of the singer.

"I want to tell them to be strong, to raise their voices, to remember he is not invincible," she said, according to a statement by Women's Link.

The allegations were first detailed in an investigation published Tuesday by US television network Univision and Spanish newspaper elDiario.es.

Spain's Equality Minister, Ana Redondo, has called for "a full investigation" into the allegations.

Iglesias, 82, is one of the most successful Latin artists of all time. Best known for his romantic ballads, he enjoyed huge success during the 1970s and 1980s and has recorded with US artists including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Willie Nelson.

Iglesias has not publicly responded to the allegations.


K-Pop Heartthrobs BTS to Kick Off World Tour in April

Pedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS' 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS' 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
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K-Pop Heartthrobs BTS to Kick Off World Tour in April

Pedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS' 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk along the stairs displayed with the BTS logo and release date of BTS' 2026 album at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on January 14, 2026. (AFP)

K-pop megastars BTS will kick off their first world tour in four years in April, their label said on Wednesday, part of a hotly-anticipated comeback following a hiatus for the South Koreans whose music has become a global phenomenon.

BTS -- known for funky and fun hits like "Dynamite" and "Butter" -- hold the record as the most-streamed group on Spotify and are the first K-pop act to have topped both the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Artist 100 charts in the United States.

But the Bulletproof Boy Scouts -- as their name means in Korean -- haven't toured or released music since 2022 as they underwent the national military service required of all South Korean men under the age of 30.

Now that all seven members have completed their military service the band's label announced on New Year's Day they would release a new album in March before heading on tour the following month.

Spanning 34 cities with 79 performances, it will be the largest-ever single tour by a K-pop group in terms of total shows and the "widest regional reach for a South Korean artist," according to the band's agency, HYBE.

The world tour will kick off in South Korea's Goyang on April 9, with two additional concerts in the city before moving on to neighboring Japan.

They will then head to the United States and Europe, with the tour ending in March 2027 in Manila.

The band's label said that more cities will be announced, including additional stops in Japan and the Middle East.

Their new album -- as yet unnamed -- will be their first since the anthology "Proof", which became South Korea's bestselling record of 2022.

- 'Right kidney is waving' -

BTS's famously loyal fanbase -- known as ARMY -- reacted with elation at news of the world tour.

One fan wrote in response to the news on Facebook that to buy a ticket their "Right kidney is waving".

"Army hunger games are about to start," another wrote, drawing a comparison between fans trying to get tickets and a series of popular young adult novels in which contestants fight to the death.

BTS is big business in South Korea -- before their military service, they generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) for the country per year, according to Seoul's Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

The figure is equivalent to roughly 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP.

HYBE's shares traded higher at Wednesday's market open on news of their world tour, rising around three percent.

And investment bank IBK Securities on Wednesday projected the firm's operating profits this year would soar tenfold compared to 2025.