Jamie Lee Curtis broke down in tears during the 2026 Emmy Awards‘ “In Memoriam” segment while honoring Rob Reiner.
Noah Kahan, clad in a white suit, sang Simon & Garfunkel’s 1970 folk song “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” as a montage of photos of late actors, industry pros and producers appeared in a slideshow displayed at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday night.
Jamie Lee Curtis then appeared onstage to pay tribute to Reiner.
Curtis cried as she recalled the kind of person Reiner was, who died in December 2025 alongside his wife, Michele, after they were stabbed to death in their home.
“He was generous and kind, and funny as hell, and a friend to all, and we all miss Rob and Michele, and all those we lost this year,” she said.
More late celebrities included in the montage were Hayden Panettiere, James Van Der Beek, Sam Neill, Eric Dane, Robert Duvall, Robert Carradine, Vincent Pastore, Tim Curry, Bob Mackie, Shelley Fabares, James Burrows and Ted Turner.
But noticeably excluded was Chuck Norris, as well as Nicholas Brendon. Brendon was not included in the montage despite his “Buffy the Vampire” co-stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz reuniting at this year’s ceremony.
Meanwhile, Catherine O’Haragot her own tribute ahead of Kahan’s performance, with her on-screen children — “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin, as well as “Schitt’s Creek” stars Dan Levy, and Annie Murphy — sharing heartfelt words for her.
“There are all types of words I could use to describe Catherine. She was encouraging. She was warm. She was funny, but the word that I think of is ‘Mom,’” Culkin said.
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“She wasn’t just a wife and mother to Beau and Matthew and Luke, she was my mom.”
Dolly Parton also got her own tribute separate from the In Memoriam montage. Parton’s “Steel Magnolias” co-star Sally Field led the tribute, which featured country music star Reba McEntire singing Parton’s song “Appalachian Memories.”
Emmys producer Jesse Collins previously shared that Kahan chose to sing “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” because it’s personally meaningful to him.
“Paul Simon is one of his favorite artists,” he told Variety. “So it was really about coming up with an arrangement that does the song justice.”
He added, “He’s such a pure musician, and he’s worked really hard with our team to create something I think people are going to love.”
Mariska Hargitay was the host of this year’s Emmys, the first woman in 15 years to host the annual awards shows honoring the best in television.
The star-studded audience on Monday included Zendaya, Keke Palmer, Jon Hamm, Amy Poehler and more.
The “In Memoriam” segment at last year’s Emmys paid tribute to Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Ozzy Osbourne, Michelle Trachtenberg, Food Network star Anne Burrell and more.
That tribute featured a live performance of Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain” with country star Lainey Wilson.
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