Headline: A Body of Work, A Body at War: Diane Keaton’s Life of Art and Illness

Diane Keaton, who has died at 79, leaves behind an incredible body of work that shaped modern cinema. But her life was also the story of a body at war, a constant struggle against both a relentless physical illness and a profound psychological disorder that threatened to consume her.
Her body was at war with her own cells. A family history of skin cancer meant she was in a lifelong battle against the disease. This war left literal scars, with two surgeries required to treat squamous cell cancer. Her body was a canvas of both cinematic history and the history of her illness.
Simultaneously, her body was the battleground for her eating disorder. Bulimia turned the simple act of eating into a weapon of self-destruction. Her body was subjected to a brutal cycle of being flooded with up to 20,000 calories and then violently purged, a physical manifestation of her internal turmoil.
It is a profound testament to her spirit that she was able to create such a joyful, intelligent, and enduring body of work while her own body was so often at war. She channeled her energy into her art, creating indelible characters even as she was fighting for her own survival.
Ultimately, she found a way to make peace. Through therapy, recovery, and a commitment to self-care (like her ever-present hats), she managed the wars within and without. Her legacy is a powerful story of how a life of great art can be forged in the crucible of great illness.