Diane Keaton's heartbreaking confession before she died aged 79

Back in October, actress Diane Keaton sadly died at the age of 79.

Known for her roles in The Godfather and First Wives Club, the Oscar-winner passed away surrounded by family in California.

A friend of Keaton's later told PEOPLE that 'she declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her' and that her death was 'so unexpected'. They also praised the actor's 'strength and spirit'.

They explained that in her final months of life, she was surrounded by her family and that 'long-time friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening'.

Keaton passed away in October (Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)

Keaton's family later provided more details, explaining to PEOPLE that she died from pneumonia.

"The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11", the statement read.

"She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her."

Keaton had died from pneumonia (Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)

Prior to her death, Keaton had made a heartbreaking confession several years earlier about suffering with bulimia.

Bulimia is an eating disorder and mental health condition that can include binge eating, followed by 'purging' which can include vomiting, taking laxatives, avoiding eating, exercising aggressively, or a combination.

According to RadarOnline.com, Keaton was taking part in a book tour for her autobiography back in 2014, when her team allegedly requested that nobody ask about her battle with bulimia.

An insider claimed: "But Diane had other ideas. She didn't want to be the quirky, hat-wearing Diane everyone expected.

"She wanted to talk about what really mattered. She quietly asked the producer, 'Can we please talk about this? No one ever lets me.'"

Keaton in 1974 (CBS via Getty Images)

"People were nice enough," Keaton reportedly said.

"But I felt like an outsider. I had a problem – it was sick and creepy. Bulimia takes a lot of time out of your day."

She also told Dr Oz in the same year that she was asked to lose 10 pounds for a role, which triggered her battle.

She said: "All I did was feed my hunger, so I am an addict.

"It's true. I'm an addict in recovery, I'll always be an addict. I have an addictive nature to me.

“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.”

For help, support and information on eating disorders, you can visit Beat here.