The 2026 Emmys honored multiple stars we lost this year, but not everyone was included in the In Memoriam.
During the somber segment at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Monday, September 14, Noah Kahan took the stage to perform a rendition of the classic Simon & Garfunkel ballad “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as the names of stars Hollywood lost in the past year floated on the screen.
Sally Field and Reba McEntire also appeared on stage to honor their late friend Dolly Parton. McEntire sang Parton’s song “Appalachian Memories.”
Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy later honored their onscreen mom Catherine O’Hara before Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to Rob Reiner.
Parton, who won her sole Emmy in 2021 for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer for Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square, died last month following a brief battle with an undisclosed form of cancer. She was 80.
Two-time Emmy winner O’Hara, meanwhile, died from a pulmonary embolism in January at 71 while Rob and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were fatally stabbed in their home last December at 78 and 70, respectively.
While Monday’s touching live tribute paid tribute to multiple fallen celebrities, it did omit a few late stars, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Nicholas Brendon and Lilo & Stitch‘s Daveigh Chase. However, their names were featured as part of a longer dedication on the Emmys’ official website.
In March, Brendon died in his sleep at age 54. His cause of death was later ruled as atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease with a blockage in the right coronary artery.
Three month after Brendon’s death, news broke that Chase died while she was in the hospital battling meningitis and an infection in her blood that led to sepsis. She was 35. Her cause of death was later confirmed as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) while other significant conditions included chronic polysubstance use.
On the day of the 2026 Emmys, news broke that legendary fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie died. He was 87.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today,” read a statement via Mackie’s official Instagram account on Monday. “He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do. His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.”
Mackie was featured in the televised segment and on the Emmys’ dedication via its website.
