Woody Allen pays tribute to the late Diane Keaton, his longtime friend and collaborator

Woody Allen paid tribute Sunday to his past romantic partner and longtime collaborator Diane Keaton, calling her the "audience of one " whose cinematic opinion was the only one he valued

Woody Allen paid tribute Sunday to his past romantic partner and longtime collaborator Diane Keaton, calling her the "audience of one " whose cinematic opinion was the only one he valued.

The polarizing director penned a lengthy tribute in The Free Press to Keaton, who died at age 79, her daughter confirmed to NBC News on Saturday. Keaton, who starred in many of Allen's films, won an Oscar for her role in Allen’s rom-com “Annie Hall” in 1977.

"As time went on I made movies for an audience of one, Diane Keaton," Allen wrote. "I never read a single review of my work and cared only what Keaton had to say about it."

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in a scene from the 1977 comedy "Annie Hall."Screen Archives / Getty Images fileKeaton's pre-screen critiques were so important to Allen that he'd scramble to make last-second changes to his movies before release if she seemed "less than enthusiastic" about the work.

"If she liked it, I counted the film as an artistic success," Allen wrote. "If she was less than enthusiastic, I tried to use her criticism to reedit and come away with something she felt better about.”