Emmys 2025 In Memoriam Honors Ozzy Osbourne, George Wendt, Malcolm-Jamal Warner

The Emmys celebrated the lives of many celebrities who’ve worked in the TV industry over the past year during the gala event in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson provided the soundtrack, a eulogy in the form of Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” for the farewell.

During the performance, an array of performers, writers, directors, executives, and other TV industry creatives were honored. Among them were actors like Teri Garr, Michelle Trachtenberg, four-time Emmy winner Maggie Smith, and

George Wendt, the Cheers star who earned six Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Norm Peterson on Cheers, was mentioned. As was two-time nominee Loni Anderson (for WKRP in Cincinnati), and John Amos, the Good Times star, who received a nomination for his work on the classic miniseries Roots. 

The tribute also included nods to Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch; Robin Kaye, the American Idol music supervisor who was killed in her home alongside her husband earlier this year; original Wheel of Fortune host Chuck Woolery; and longtime Simpsons composer Alf Clausen. Heavy metal legend and reality TV pioneer, Ozzy Osbourne, was also featured, while the in memoriam section closed with the towering musician, producer, and composer, Quincy Jones.

Prior to Gill and Wilson’s performance, the in memoriam section was introduced by Phylicia Rashad, who paid special tribute to her Cosby Show co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

“He was a beloved teenager in an iconic television series who the world watched grow into manhood,” she said. “Like all our friends and colleagues who transitioned this past year, Malcolm-Jamal Warner remains in our hearts. Tonight, as is tradition at the Emmys, we remember them not just for their immense talent, but also for the way they made us believe in something bigger, the best that is within us.”

Gill and Wilson performed a duet of “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” a song that Gill wrote and recorded on his 1994 album, When Love Finds You. The singers posted a video of a rehearsal of the song to social media a few days before the broadcast.

Gill began writing the tune in 1989, according to American Songwriter, with the late country artist Keith Whitley, who’d died that year, in mind. He completed writing it in 1993 after his older brother, Bob, died of a heart attack. Ricky Skaggs and Patty Lovelace provided background vocals on the studio rendition. Gill sang the song at George Jones’ funeral.

Comedian Nate Bargatze hosted the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ 77th annual event, which took place at L.A.’s Peacock Theater. The event aired on CBS and Paramount+. Severance, The Penguin, and The Studio were the most nominated programs of the night.

From Rolling Stone US.