Betty White, Bob Saget and Anne Heche Among 2022 Emmy Awards' Touching In Memoriam Tribute
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Hollywood took a solemn moment amid the celebration of the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards to pay respect to some of the friends, colleagues and icons TV has lost over the past year.
Betty White, Bob Saget and Anne Heche were among the television stars honored in the Emmys' annual "In Memoriam" tribute, which acknowledges the deaths of small-screen luminaries since the previous year's ceremony.
This year's tribute was set to John Legend's new single "Pieces," with the singer/songwriter playing the touching tune about grief and loss on the piano as photos of the late television stars flashed onscreen.
Other stars also featured in the segment included Peter Scolari, Jak Knight, Tony Dow, Howard Hesseman, Willie Garson, Robert Morse, Bernard Shaw, David Arnold, Estelle Harris and John Madden.
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Vin Scully, Nichelle Nichols, James Caan, Gilbert Gottfried, Cheslie Kryst, Dean Stockwell, Tony Sirico, Jean-Marc Valee, Michael Nesmith, Louie Anderson, Paul Sorvino, Ray Liotta and Sidney Poitier were also featured.
Olivia Newton-John, the beloved singer who made numerous TV appearances over her long career, was not featured in the segment.
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White was a five-time Emmy winner going back to 1975, and she had an additional 16 nominations between 1951 and 2014. The beloved Golden Girls star died on Dec. 31, 2021 — just two weeks before she would have celebrated her 100th birthday.
"The world looks different now," Ryan Reynolds wrote at the time. "She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We'll miss you, Betty."
RELATED: Ryan Reynolds and More Stars Mourn Betty White After Her Death: 'What an Exceptional Life'
Journalist Dan Rather called White "a spirit of goodness and hope."
"Betty White was much beloved because of who she was, and how she embraced a life well lived," he wrote on Twitter. "Her smile. Her sense of humor. Her basic decency. Our world would be better if more followed her example. It is diminished with her passing."
Phillip Faraone/Getty Bob Saget
Saget unexpectedly died on Jan. 9 at age 65.
In addition to earning the nickname of "America's Dad" during his eight years on Full House, Saget "was one of the pioneers in the reality TV world" in his role as host of America's Funniest Home Videos from 1989 through 1997, according to widow Kelly Rizzo.
RELATED: Kelly Rizzo Says She's 'Looking for Silver Linings' Since After Husband Bob Saget's Death
John Stamos praised his late costar and longtime friend in June: "As a director, producer, actor, standup comedian and New York Times bestselling author, Bob was successful in every medium of media. A lot of colleagues ... were charmed by his humor, his intelligence and his open expression of love for family, friends and his fans."
Everett
Heche was another sudden loss that shook Hollywood in the past year. The Men in Trees actress was involved in a horrific car crash on Aug. 5 that left her in a week-long coma. She was declared legally dead by the state of California on Aug. 12, despite remaining on life support in order to donate her organs. On Aug. 14, the actress's rep confirmed to PEOPLE she had been taken off of life support.
Heche's death certificate, obtained by PEOPLE confirmed that she'll be buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
RELATED: Celebrities Remember Anne Heche After Actress Dies at 53: A 'Resilient and Courageous Soul'
"Anne held nothing back — in life or in performance," wrote director Nathan Scoggins, who directed Heche in What Remains — one of her last completed films. "She was fearless, going too far in some takes just to make sure she went far enough."
He added, "She was innocent, a pure soul, who let people in and sometimes suffered for it. But you can't love without trust, and she loved with her whole heart."
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The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards are being broadcast live on NBC from the Microsoft Theater in ?Los Angeles.
