Their legacies live on.
The film industry lost an extraordinary number of its most beloved voices in the past 12 months, and each one was honored during the 98th annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday.
After host Conan O’Brien introduced the emotional In Memoriam segment, directing legend Rob Reiner was remembered by “When Harry Met Sally” star Billy Crystal and the casts of Reiner’s most beloved movies.
Rachel McAdams then took the stage to remember the actresses we’ve lost over the past year, including Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara.
McAdams, 47, starred alongside Keaton in both “Morning Glory” and “The Family Stone.”
Keaton, who scored an Academy Award for best actress in 1978 for her titular role in “Annie Hall,” passed away from bacterial pneumonia on Oct. 11 at the age of 79.
Like the late stars before her, the news of O’Hara’s sudden passing shook Hollywood.
The “Schitt’s Creek” and “Home Alone” actress died on Jan. 30 at the age of 71.
It was later revealed that O’Hara, who won a posthumous award at the 2026 SAG Actor Awards earlier this month, passed away from a pulmonary embolism.
Barbra Streisand then took the Dolby Theater stage to sing a touching rendition of “The Way We Were” from the 1973 film of the same name that she starred in with the late Robert Redford.
Redford, who died on Sept. 16 at 89, contributed to the industry far beyond his iconic roles in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Sting,” “All the President’s Men” and the Oscar-winning “Ordinary People.”
He also championed independent films by creating the Sundance Institute and Film Festival in 1981, which supported independent storytelling and helped foster the careers of future filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Chloé Zhao and Ryan Coogler.
Oscar producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, meanwhile, recognized the importance of this year’s In Memoriam segment and how they planned to pay tribute to all the stars we’ve lost during an interview with Variety ahead of the night’s ceremony.
“We’ve had an incredibly tough year of losses,” Mullan told the outlet. “So many cinema titans have passed away, and there are so many people who care so deeply for a lot of the people we’ll be tributing and honoring.”
She added, “That has taken a lot of conversation, a lot of thought, and will continue right up into the show.”
Kapoor, meanwhile, discussed the decision to extend this year’s In Memoriam and the intricate behind-the-scenes architecture of the bittersweet segment.
“It’s everything from graphic design to titles to placement, because it all matters,” Kapoor shared. “Who follows who, where those beats happen — it’s very nuanced.”
He continued, “The team that puts together the film is almost working all the way up to the show because there are so many changes and revisions.”
The Oscar producer emphasized that the In Memoriam segment is a “chance for people to say goodbye” and a “chance for them to see some of their favorite people one more time.”
“We don’t take it lightly,” he concluded.
Additional actors remembered at the Dolby Theater Sunday night included Val Kilmer, Diane Ladd, Graham Greene, Sally Kirkland and Terence Stamp.
Kilmer passed away from pneumonia on April 1 at 65.
Diane Ladd, who scored three Oscar nods throughout her career and was also Laura Dern’s mother, died on Nov. 3 at 89.
The post Rachel McAdams honors Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara during emotional Oscars 2026 In Memoriam appeared first on Page Six.
