Emmys In Memoriam honors Norman Lear, André Braugher, and more

Charlie Puth and The War and Treaty honored the television stars we’ve lost at the 2023 Emmy Awards.

The musicians performed a heartfelt rendition of Puth’s “See You Again” and the Rembrandts’ “I'll Be There for You” to pay tribute to the performers and artists who have died since the last Emmys ceremony in 2022.

Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers introduced the In Memoriaum segment with a special tribute to Norman Lear. "We were part of a very unique family, not just the bunkers, but Norman Lear's extended family," Reiner said. Among the segment's other honorees were André Braugher, Suzanne Somers, Barbara Walters, and Kirstie Alley.

Lear, the visionary producer behind shows like All in the Family and The Jeffersons was among the night’s most significant honorees. Lear died at age 101 on Dec. 5 from cardiac arrest. Lear, a six-time Emmy winner and 17-time nominee, revolutionized comedy on television by embracing controversial topics and promoting underrepresented voices in his shows. Lear also produced hit series like Sanford and Son, Good Times, Maude, and One Day at a Time. Lear received the National Medal of Arts in 1999, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017, and numerous other awards and recognitions throughout his career.

Braugher, the beloved star of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Homicide: Life on the Street, died Dec. 11 at age 61 after battling lung cancer. Braugher starred as Detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide and won an Emmy for his performance in 1998. He won another Emmy for his work in the miniseries Thief, and enjoyed a late-career renaissance as Captain Raymond Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which utilized his deadpan seriousness for tremendous comedic effect. 

Somers, known for her work on Three's Company and Step by Step, died Oct. 15 at age 76 after a battle with breast cancer. Somers played Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company for four years and Carol Foster Lambert on Step by Step for seven. She also was an accomplished author, became the spokesperson for the Thighmaster, hosted numerous talk shows, and appeared on Dancing With the Stars. 

Walters, the legendary broadcast journalist, died Dec. 30, 2022 at 93. Walters was the first female cohost of Today, the first female network news co-anchor, and the creator and cohost of The View. She won three Daytime Emmys across her six-decade career: one in 1975 for Outstanding Talk Show Host for Today, one in 2003 for Best Talk Show for The View, and one in 2009 for Outstanding Talk Show Host for The View. She also won one Primetime Emmy in 1983 for Outstanding Informational Series for The Barbara Walters Specials, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

Alley, the Cheers and Veronica’s Closet star, died at 71 on Dec. 5, 2022 after battling cancer. Alley played Rebecca Howe on Cheers after Shelley Long left the series in 1987, and continued on the show until its conclusion in 1993. She received five Emmy nominations for her work on the show and won one Emmy for her work on the show in 1991, and a second for her performance in the TV movie David's Mother. 

Other honorees included David McCallum, Bob Barker, Ron Cephas Jones, Angus Cloud, Paul Reubens, Alan Arkin, Treat Williams, Lance Reddick, Richard Belzer, Richard Roundtree, Annie Wersching, Matthew Perry, and Angela Lansbury.

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