Oscars’ 2024 in memoriam honors Harry Belafonte, Matthew Perry, Tina Turner and more
The in memoriam segment for the 2024 Oscars began with a message from recently deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The clip came from the documentary "Navalny," which won best documentary feature film at the 2023 awards ceremony.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing," Navalny said as the tribute commenced.
Harry Belafonte, Tina Turner, Alan Arkin, Matthew Perry, Andre Braugher, Paul Reubens, Richard Roundtree, Chita Rivera and more actors who died in the past year were honored during the emotional segment.
The 2024 in memoriam featured dancers as the orchestra played before Andrea Bocelli was joined by his son Matteo Bocelli to sing a version of his song “Time to Say Goodbye.” As they sang the haunting ballad, photos and clips of recently deceased stars were displayed.
At the end of the segment, a message appeared encouraging viewers to visit the Oscars' website to see the full list of "other legends we've lost."
Last year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences faced backlash after the 2023 Academy Awards’ in memoriam left out a few actors.
When the tribute aired, “Too Close for Comfort” star Lydia Cornell pointed out on X that Paul Sorvino, Anne Heche and Tom Sizemore were among those who were not included.
“Can anyone explain why this happens every year?” she asked.
Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino, Paul Sorvino’s daughter, expressed her frustration in a tweet, too.
“It is baffling beyond belief that my beloved father and many other amazing brilliant departed actors were left out,” she said. “The Oscars forgot about Paul Sorvino, but the rest of us never will!!”
Paul Sorvino and more actors were included on a separate list that viewers could access by scanning a QR code during the tribute.
In response to the disappointed reactions, the academy released a statement March 13, explaining there is “limited available time” which prevents all actors from being mentioned in the broadcasted segment.
“The Academy receives hundreds of requests to include loved ones and industry colleagues in the Oscars In Memoriam segment. An executive committee representing every branch considers the list and makes selections for the telecast based on limited available time. All the submissions are included on A.frame and will remain on the site throughout the year,” the organization said in a statement.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com