At the 2026 Oscars, the In Memoriam segment paid tribute to many incredible legends in the industry who passed away this past year, but Eric Dane was missing from the list.
Along with Dane, notable names such as James Van Der Beek and Brigitte Bardot were not included. However, they were included in the Academy’s In Memoriam 2026 tribute posted online.
The show did include long tributes to other major Hollywood figures such as Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and Robert Redford.
Eric Dane Passed Away After A Courageous ALS Battle
Dane tragically passed away at the age of 53 following a battle with ALS, just 10 months after he publicly revealed that he was diagnosed with the disease.
In an emotional interview with Good Morning America in June 2025, Dane opened up about the symptoms he experienced at the beginning, saying that it started with “some weakness in my right hand.”
“I didn’t really think anything of it at the time,” he added. “I thought maybe I’d been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later I noticed it got a little worse.”
When he finally received the diagnosis, he said he “will never forget those three letters.”
Dane “spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” the family said in a statement after his passing.
VIDEO: The 2026 Oscars In Memoriam Segment
Billy Crystal took the stage to begin the beautiful In Memoriam tribute, honoring his longtime friend Rob Reiner, who tragically passed away alongside his wife. The actor recalled some of Reiner’s most iconic films including “Stand By Me,” “The Princess Bride,” and “When Harry Met Sally.”
As Crystal finished speaked, he stepped back and was joined on the stage by many other incredible actors and actresses who starred in Reiner’s movies, including Meg Ryan, Demi Moore, John Cusack, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Cary Elwes, Carol Kane, Kiefer Sutherland, and more.
Rachel McAdams took the stage shortly after, sharing a tearful speech to Catherine O’Hara and Diane Keaton, specifically called Keaton “an actress of my generation who is not inspired by and enthralled with her absolute singularity.”
And then it was Barbra Streisand who paid tribute to Robert Redford, as the two starred together in “The Way We Were,” and she remembered him as “an intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail.”
“I miss him now more than ever, even though he loved teasing me,” she added.
