Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo Bocelli did beautiful justice to the Hollywood legends who died in the past year by singing a heart-wrenching duet of “Time to Say Good-Bye (Con Te Partirò)” during the 2024 Oscars Sunday (March 10).
The performance began with a simple but elegant string quartet and a group of lyrical dancers cloaked in blue. As the big screens at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles honored the names of actors, producers, writers, musicians, costume designers and more the world has lost since last year’s ceremony, the father-son duo took the stage side-by-side in matching blue suit jackets to harmonize on the elder Bocelli’s famous track.
Among the late honorees spotlighted by the Academy this year were Tina Turner, Friends star Matthew Perry, composer Bill Lee, actress Chita Rivera, actor Ryan O’Neal, composer Richard Lewis, actress Glenda Jackson and more.
The heartfelt tribute came toward the end of the ceremony, following awards given to best supporting actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers), best supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr. for Oppenheimer) and best original song (Billie Eilish and Finneas for Barbie‘s “What Was I Made For?”). Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 96th Academy Awards has also seen a number of A-list presenters, including Ariana Grande and her Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Anya Taylor-Joy, Bad Bunny, John Cena and more.
The “In Memoriam” segment also followed musical performances from all five best original song nominees. In addition to Eilish and Finneas’ acoustic rendition of “What Was I Made For?,” Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson delivered a star-studded showcase of “I’m Just Ken,” Becky G was on fire for “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot, Jon Batiste took to the piano for “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony, and Scott George and The Osage Singers gathered onstage to for “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon.
Watch the “In Memoriam” segment below:
This story originally appeared on Billboard
