The actress, best known for her roles in The Godfather, Annie Hall, and Something’s Gotta Give, had faced health struggles throughout her adult life. Diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma at just 21, Keaton later underwent two surgeries for squamous cell cancer.
“Wear sunscreen. You’ve got to put it on,” she once said in an interview.
Keaton added about the discovery she was ill: “I had it for a very, very long time before it was diagnosed. I knew something was up, but no one could find it. I had three biopsies before they found it. And it was deep.”
The trauma of those experiences left its mark. She said: “I’ve always liked hats. They just frame a head. But, of course, nobody really thinks they’re as great as I do.”
Her wide-brimmed hats and high collars were not only fashion statements but a physical barrier against the California sun – and a reminder of what she had endured. In 2015, Keaton revealed skin cancer had also devastated her family.
“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,” she said.
Reflecting on her potentially deadly years as a self-proclaimed “sun worshipper,” Keaton admitted: “I might have avoided 20 skin cancers had I been a constant sunscreen wearer and taken the matter seriously.”
