John Travolta choked up as he remembered the “dear friends” Hollywood has lost over the last year at the Oscars on Sunday, March 12. The 69-year-old actor was chosen to introduce this year’s Academy Awards “In Memoriam” segment and he grew emotional as he introduced Lenny Kravitz to the stage for the tribute, which included memorials to his “Grease!” co-star Dame Olivia Newton-John and “Look Who’s Talking” co-star Kirstie Alley.
Introducing the segment on stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, he said, “In this industry, we have the rare luxury of getting to do what we love for a living, and sometimes getting to do it with people that we come to love. And since tonight is a celebration of the work and the accomplishments of our community in this past year, it is only fitting then that we celebrate those we’ve lost, who dedicated their lives to their craft, both in front of and behind the camera.”
John’s voice then cracked as he referenced Olivia’s song from “Grease”, “Hopelessly Devoted to You”, and said, “Through their immeasurable contributions, each of them left an individual and indelible mark that shared and informed us. They’ve touched our hearts, they’ve made us smile, and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to.”
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Lenny then performed a moving rendition of his song “Calling All Angels” while images were projected on the screen behind him of actors, actresses, filmmakers and other entertainers who had been nominated for, or won, an Oscar and had passed away over the last year. As well as Olivia and Kirstie, those honoured included Dame Angela Lansbury, James Caan, Jean-Luc Godard, Ray Liotta, Raquel Welch, Wolfgang Petersen, Burt Bacharach, Vangelis, Irene Cara and Louise Fletcher. The final slide was given to producer and former Academy president Walter Mirisch.
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