The 98th Academy Awards featured an expansive In Memoriam segment on Sunday night, highlighted by a large gathering of actors honoring the late director Rob Reiner. Billy Crystal led the on-stage tribute, joined by cast members from Reiner’s most recognized films, following the deaths of Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in December 2025.
The broadcast also dedicated significant time to actor Robert Redford, who died in September 2025 at the age of 89. Barbra Streisand, 83, stepped out of live-performance retirement to sing “The Way We Were” in honor of her former co-star. During her segment, Streisand described Redford as an “intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail” and stated, “I miss him now more than ever.”
During the specific segment dedicated to Reiner, the Los Angeles stage filled with his former collaborators, including Meg Ryan, Kathy Bates, Cary Elwes, Demi Moore, John Cusack, and Michael McKean. The group represented a wide cross-section of the entertainment industry, spanning casts from “When Harry Met Sally…,” “The Princess Bride,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men,” and “This Is Spinal Tap.”
Crystal closed the Reiner tribute by stating, “Buddy, what fun we had storming the castle.”
May all the Reiners be the ones who shine the brightest in whatever they chose to do in life Amen Oscars 2026: Billy Crystal pays tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner https://t.co/Bm3JlL39Pi via @YouTube
— Isobel Aura (@AuraIsobel) March 16, 2026
Actress Rachel McAdams also took the stage during the broadcast to deliver a separate homage to Diane Keaton. The ceremony’s dedicated segments for female screen icons lost over the past year additionally honored Catherine O’Hara and Diane Ladd.