Video game pundit Geoff Keighley posted on X that he was disappointed with the Academy Awards ceremony\u2019s In Memoriam segment because it excluded his father. David Keighley, he reasoned, made \u201cimmeasurable contributions to IMAX and cinema,\u201d and deserved to be recognized among the entertainment industry figures whose deaths were remembered in the famous yearly Oscars tribute.<\/p>\n
I spent the In Memoriam segment of this year\u2019s Oscars ceremony on March 15, 2026, looking for Brigitte Bardot. I knew the starlet was controversial in Hollywood<\/a> because of views about immigration and cultural change that are considered \u201cfar right\u201d by some, especially in the entertainment industry. When she wasn\u2019t there, I was about to fume like Keighley, until I followed the link<\/a> to the 2026 Oscars In Memoriam website<\/a>.<\/p>\n James Van Der Beek passed away on February 11, 2026<\/p>\n If Brigitte Bardot was snubbed, then so were thespians of the caliber of Joe Don Baker, Jean Marsh, Loni Anderson, and James Van Der Beek. Robert Carradine<\/a> of the famous Hollywood dynasty also was not featured in the In Memoriam segment, a fact which cannot have been overlooked, since he is featured on their web page. Famous comedienne Ruth Buzzi died this year, along with famous Musketeer and original Allan Quartermaine, Richard Chamberlain.<\/p>\n We also lost child actor Bud Kort, Star Wars actor Kenneth Colley, and ALS-sufferer Eric Dane. Sitcom stars Wings Hauser and Polly Holliday, who was also in Gremlins<\/a>, were not featured in the segment, but are listed on the page. Horror movie actor James Ransone<\/a>, who made his name on the show The Wire, left this mortal coil. Both Zed (Peter Greene) and The Gimp (Stephen Hibbert) from Pulp Fiction<\/a> also died in the past year, and not because of Marcellus Wallace.<\/p>\n Rob Reiner in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)<\/p>\n The In Memoriam segment focused on some of Hollywood\u2019s most famous losses this year. Dedicated speeches were given for Rob Reiner, Robert Redford, and Diane Keaton. Longer clips of actors like Robert Duval and Diane Ladd showcased some of their more famous roles. Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai, star of many films that influenced American culture, was given a moment of silence. However, superstar Val Kilmer<\/a> barely got a few seconds\u2019 notice, and more behind-the-scenes types, like cinematographers, directors, and even entertainment attorneys were given time in groups of two and three.<\/p>\n We just had too many deaths in the entertainment industry this year for the Academy to pack them all into a segment that could be shown on television during the awards. If they had paid tribute to everyone who is on their web page, the segment might have been almost as long as the ceremony itself.<\/p>\n We lost celebrities this year to a variety of causes (I know this because I wrote a lot of their obituaries\u2026 too many). A few committed suicide in tragic ways that reflected inner struggles that may or may not have been public. Some of them succumbed to long-term battles with cancer and other diseases. Famously, the Reiners were murdered<\/a> by their son during a psychotic episode. The joke that celebrity deaths come in threes worked overtime this year.<\/p>\nThe Full List Couldn\u2019t Be Covered During Ceremony<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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So Much Talent Lost This Year<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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