Bette Midler, Ben Stiller, Kerry Washington, Nancy Sinatra and more are paying to Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton, who died at 79 on Saturday.

Keaton’s “The First Wives Club” co-star Bette Midler posted on Threads a carousel of photos of them together and wrote, “The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died. I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me.

Midler continued, “She was hilarious, 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!”

Her other “The First Wives Club” co-star Goldie Hawn paid tribute to the actress with an Instagram post that she captioned, “I was blessed to make ‘First Wives Club’ with you. Our days starting with coffee in the makeup trailer, laughing and joking, right through to the very last day of filming. It was a roller coaster of love.”

She continued, “We agreed to grow old together, and one day, maybe live together with all our girlfriends. Well, we never got to live together, but we did grow older together. Who knows –maybe in the next life. Shine your fairy dust up there, girlfriend. I’m going to miss the hell out of you.”

On Oct. 6, Albanian Appeals Court Judge Astrit Kalaja was shot inside the Tirana courtroom where he oversaw a property dispute case, according to the International Commission of Jurists. Kalaja died of his wounds, and two others were injured in the shooting. The 30-year-old suspect has been arrested.

Kalaja’s killing quickly became a lightning rod for nationwide dissatisfaction with the Albanian judiciary. 

Former Albanian Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations Agim Nesho told Fox News Digital that reforms implemented almost a decade ago by the European Union and the U.S. were “intended to strengthen the rule of law,” but have been “transformed into a political instrument, undermining democratic institutions and concentrating power in the hands of the executive.”

SOROS V TRUMP: SOCIALISTS TARGETS CONSERVATIVES IN UPCOMING EUROPEAN NATION’S ELECTION

“As a result,” Nesho said, “the public’s confidence in the justice system has severely eroded, with institutional dysfunction reaching a level where some segments of society feel driven to take justice into their own hands — a dangerous sign of democratic backsliding.”

Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha told Fox News Digital that Kalaja’s killing was “an abominable act and an alarm bell that should not be ignored.”

MEET RAMADURO: EUROPE’S PROGRESSIVE SOROS-TRAINED AUTOCRAT AND ENEMY OF TRUMPISM

Berisha said that the “evident support that the act has garnered,” including the creation of a now inactive GoFundMe to support the killer’s legal rights, demonstrates “protest against a dysfunctional judiciary, against a corrupt and politicized judicial system.”

Berisha said judicial reforms “left the country without a Constitutional Court and without a High Court for more than five years,” creating a “staggering backlog” of around 200,000 cases. He said that the process of vetting judicial personnel turned into “a witch-hunt against magistrates that were perceived [to be] independent or potentially right-leaning.” According to Berisha, this led to the “weaponization of the judiciary against the opposition.” 

Lawmakers of the Democratic Party, left, look on as their colleagues of the ruling Socialist party vote in Tirana, Albania, Feb. 22, 2024.  (Armando Babani/AP Photo)

A 2020 report on U.S. assistance to Albania describes American and EU efforts to “restore the integrity of the Albanian justice system.” The report states that USAID assisted the High Court with creating a procedure to manage 72% of its 35,000 backlogged cases. It also stated that 125 of 286 judges and prosecutors put through vetting procedures had “been dismissed for unexplained wealth, ties to organized crime, or incompetence,” while 50 judges chose to resign rather than go through vetting.

EX-ALBANIAN PRESIDENT WARNS BIDEN THAT RUSSIA SEEKS TO ‘UNDERMINE EUROPEAN VALUES AND FOUNDATIONS’ IN REGION

Berisha claimed that in the aftermath of reforms, it now takes about 15–20 years for the resolution of legal disputes. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” Berisha said.

Lawyer Besnik Muçi, formerly a prosecutor and a judge in the Constitutional Court of Albania, told Fox News Digital that judicial reforms aimed “to establish a credible, fair, independent, professional, service-oriented justice system that is open, accountable and efficient.” He said that the Albanian justice system “has failed in almost all” parameters. 

Muçi said the courts’ backlog consists of about 150,000 cases. He also noted that the closure of five appeal courts and some district courts has “almost blocked the citizens’ access to justice.” He also explained that most court buildings do not “meet…the security conditions and standards necessary.” 

“Citizens do not believe in the justice system,” Muçi said. 

Then Albanian President Ilir Meta holds an American flag as he delivers a speech during a rally in Tirana, on March 2, 2020. Thousands of Albanians rallied on March 2, 2020 against the country’s left-wing government and Prime Minister Edi Rama, responding to a call from the president who accuses him of violating the constitution.  (Photo by Gent Shkullaku/AFP via Getty Images)

After Kalaja’s murder, the Korça Bar Association and National Bar Association of Albania boycotted court proceedings on Oct. 9 and 10. Korça Bar Association Director Nevzat Tarelli told Albanian news station CNA that Kalaja’s killing highlighted the need for increased security for and trust in judicial personnel. He also said that “people who expect justice in a timely manner, if they do not receive it, no longer have faith in justice.” 

Engjëll Agaçi, general secretary of Albania’s Council of Ministers, did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about nationwide discontent with the judiciary or the size of Albania’s court case backlog. 

A State Department spokesperson declined to respond to questions about the success of U.S.-backed judicial reform efforts in Albania or address the issues that Kalaja’s killing has highlighted.

“We offer our deepest sympathies to the victims of this attack and their families and strongly condemn the use of violence against judges and prosecutors,” the spokesperson said.

Keaton was best known for her roles in Annie Hall, Reds and The Godfather films.

American actress Diane Keaton, known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977’s Annie Hall and her role in The Godfather films, has died at the age of 79.

Keaton died in California and her loved ones have asked for privacy, a family spokesperson told People magazine on Saturday.

Keaton, who appeared in more than 60 films, stood out in Hollywood with a personal style that favoured androgynous looks: suits, turtleneck sweaters and her trademark hats.

The actress shot to fame in the 1970s with her role as Kay Adams, the girlfriend and eventual wife of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy as well as her collaborations with director Woody Allen.

Keaton frequently worked with Allen, portraying the titular character in Annie Hall, the charming girlfriend of Allen’s comic Alvy Singer.

“It was an idealised version of me, let’s put it that way,” Keaton said about the film in an interview with the United States TV network CBS News in 2004.

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.

She made a total of eight films with Allen, including 1979’s Manhattan.

Her star-making performances in the 1970s were not a flash in the pan as she would continue to charm new generations for decades, thanks in part to a longstanding collaboration with filmmaker Nancy Meyers, with whom she made four films.

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.

Her many beloved films included The First Wives Club, Father of the Bride, The Family Stone and the Book Club movies.

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

“I think I was really afraid of men and also very attracted to extremely talented people that were dazzling,” she told Elle magazine in 2015. “I don’t think that makes for a good marriage with a person like me, someone who just didn’t adjust well.”

Keaton is survived by her two children, Dexter and Duke, whom she adopted in her 50s.