Line #123 Main/EmptyChairMemorial


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9	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/empty_chair.png]]]]
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11	->''"We shall meet, but we shall miss him;\
12	There will be one vacant chair;\
13	We shall linger to caress him\
14	When we breathe our evening prayer."''
15	-->-- "The Vacant Chair"
16
17	Say you have a longtime member of a group, who always sat at a particular chair when the group was doing its thing. Now say that member dies bravely in battle, goes missing, or is otherwise prevented from returning to the group. The group then honors his memory by making sure the chair he sat in for so long remains empty. Usually, this is revealed to the NaiveNewcomer or someone who doesn't yet know the history behind the chair and goes to sit down in it, unintentionally pressing the group's BerserkButton.
18
19	Compare ThisIsMyChair, EmptyBedroomGrieving, and MissingManFormation. Sub-trope of ShrineToTheFallen as the chair can serve as one. When it's only two characters, the absence of one of them is signalled by a HalfEmptyTwoShot like in the page image.
20
21	!!As this can be a {{Death Trope\|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]].
22	----
23	!!Examples:
24
25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
28	* Referenced by the chairs in ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}''. Each one is associated with a particular character, and they one by one become empty.
29	* In the first episode of ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' Naota initially tells Haruko that she's not to sleep on the top bunk, as it belongs to his brother (who is in America playing baseball).
30	* There was a tradition at the bar frequented by the Uruz team on Meridia Base in ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' that each member of the team had a reserved seat. Lt. Clouseaux manages to (intentionally) offend the entire team when he sat in the seat reserved for the recently deceased Uruz 1.
31	* ''Anime/LastExileFamTheSilverWing'': Dio flies his vanship by himself, leaving the navigator's seat empty as a memorial for his co-pilot and best friend Lucciola. He's okay with having passengers sit there as long as they don't touch the controls.
32	* ''Manga/OnePiece'' adheres to the spirit of the trope if not the letter: Big Mom's Tea Party always leaves an empty seat opposite of her for Mother Carmel. Big Mom held her in high regard, followed her dream, and [[BerserkButton gets annoyed every time someone mentioned her]].
33	* In ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' installments following ''The Quest for Iscandar'', Susumu Kodai (Derek Wildsar) consistently refuses to sit in TheCaptain's chair left vacant by the death of Captain Okita (Avatar). He retains this aversion to the chair even when he is officially made captain during in the ''Bolar Wars''. He prefers his usual battle station position. He does not object, however, to Yamamani (or Hijikata in an alternate timeline) taking the chair as he acknowledges their experience as Okita's former colleagues.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Comic Books]]
37	* After the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' retool ''Comicbook/{{FF}}'', Comicbook/SpiderMan has joined the team to replace the ([[DeathIsCheap at the time]]) deceased Johnny. As he sits down to dinner, Franklin tells him that he's in the wrong chair, and Sue explains that that's where Johnny always sat.
38	* Right before the start of the ''[[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]: Obsidian Age'' storyline, there is a page-long sequence showing fish placing shells and other shiny things on ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'s empty throne, just to highlight that he's missing, as that fact hadn't been mentioned in that particular series previously. A few issues later, the league finds that [[spoiler: he's been transported back in time and enslaved by his ancestors.]]
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Fan Works]]
42	* ''[[Fanfic/Danganronpa52DespairFromTheHeart Danganronpa 52: Despair From the Heart]]'': A crossed-out portrait of each dead student is placed in their podium in the trial room, just like in the source material.
43	* ''Fanfic/FashionUpgrade'': After Marinette transfers into Ms. Mendeleiev's class, Adrien sets up some fake candles at her desk, along with a sign declaring the seat reserved for her. Lila seethes over the memorial since it's [[AttentionWhore taking attention away from her]] ''and'' because she wanted to claim that seat for herself.
44	* In the ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' story ''Fanfic/{{Legacy\|TotalDrama}}'', the deceased is twice honored in this way:
45	** One of the seats at the elimination ceremony venue is draped in the dead girl's nightgown and is not used for the rest of the competition.
46	** When the previously eliminated contestants return for the final challenge, [[spoiler:her boyfriend]] and [[spoiler:her unsuccessful suitor]] keep an empty space between them when they approach the bleachers and when they take their seats.
47	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Odaliaverse}}'', the first thing Odalia notices when she goes to sit down at the dining table of the Blight Manor is an empty chair next to hers, with the name "Animalia" added to it. A few seconds later, she recognizes this as being the chair of her ''mother'', who walked out of the family after giving birth to her.
48	* The ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' fanfic ''[[Fanfic/ProjectFreelancerPhaseOneGenesis Phase Two: Betrayal]]'' has York getting his team tickets to a live Grifball match. He buys sixteen, even though only seven are still living together at the time.
49	* In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/SecondBloom'', a few years after Daisuke Haruno's "death", his traditional seat at the kitchen table is the only thing unchanged in the room. It also appears to have been specially taken care of.
50	* The title character in ''Fanfic/ThanksKyubey'' gives one in memory of the late Charlotte in one strip. Note that the [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica original source material]] has no such thing happen because Kyubey has no emotion.
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
54	* In the 2001 adaptation of ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', Scrooge sees Tiny Tim's empty chair at the Cratchits' table in his vision of the future.
55	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'' Carl's house has two large armchairs in its living room. One is for him, and the other is for his wife Ellie. It's been empty ever since she died, several years before the start of the story. [[spoiler:By the end of the movie, Russell and Dug (and his puppies) have taken over the chair, in a sign that Carl has found a new reason to live.]]
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
59	* In ''Film/FiveCardStud'', a SerialKiller is murdering [[GottaKillThemAll everyone who was involved in a poker game]] that ended in a man's death. After each player is killed, those remaining tip their seat at the poker table forward so it leans against the table. When Van Morgan, the last survivor, goes to confront the killer, he says:
60	-->''' Van Morgan:''' Wanna do me a favor Mama?\
61	'''Mama Malone:''' Depends.\
62	'''Van Morgan:''' If I'm not back by dark, will you flip that last chair up?
63	* In ''Film/BattleOfBritain'', after a particularly bad day for the Luftwaffe, German pilots sit glumly eating in silence at a dining table with half its chairs empty.
64	* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', Steve's final assault on HYDRA is planned around a table, with all the Howling Commandos present - except Bucky, whose chair directly to Steve's right remains empty.
65	* ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'': After [[spoiler:Neil commits suicide]] and [[spoiler:Charlie gets expelled for refusing to sell out Mr. Keating]], their desks stay empty in the classroom during the last scene, when the remaining members of the society (except [[TeachersPet Cameron]]), as well as a few other students, stand on their desks to salute Mr. Keating.
66	* The ending of ''Film/MyFirstMister'' has one of these.
67	* In ''Film/NannyMcPhee'', the mother's chair in the study is a constant symbol of her. The film even begins with a speech about how the chair is empty, and if it were not, there would not be a story.
68	* Invoked in ''Film/TheRaidRedemption'', when [[SergeantRock Sgt. Jaka]] tells the rookie SWAT team he doesn't want to see any empty seats in the van on the way home from the eponymous raid. [[spoiler: Technically, he gets his wish, since the van is destroyed and Jaka never makes it out of the building.]]
69	* In the film adaptation of ''Theatre/{{RENT}}'', the "Without You" scene features random members of the support group disappearing from their chairs as they've presumably succumbed to their illness.
70	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
71	** ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'' opens with Kirk giving a log entry, pacing the bridge, stopping to touch the empty science station chair previously held by Spock, [[ItWasHisSled who had died in the previous film]]. Chekov is clearly reluctant to sit there when Kirk orders him to.
72	** Non-death example: At the end of ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'', one of the final shots is of just the Original Series cast on the bridge of the ''Enterprise-A''. Conspicuously, the helmsman's station is not manned (as Sulu is now a captain himself and in his own ship at this moment).
73	* ''Film/{{Thunderball}}''. During the meeting of SPECTRE one of the chairs is empty, James Bond having killed its usual occupant in the ActionPrologue.
74	-->'''Blofeld:''' I regret to inform you all of the death of SPECTRE Number Six. Colonel Jacques Bouvar was killed by an unknown assassin. His services will be greatly missed.
75	* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': For Eddie Valiant, the death of his brother Teddy is a sore subject. A scene in his office reveals that since Teddy's passing, Eddie has left Teddy's side of the desk they shared completely untouched. When Roger goes to sit in Teddy's chair, only to be yelled at by Eddie, he leaves his handprint on the chair as it was covered in dust and cobwebs.
76	* ''Film/WingCommander'': Lieutenant Blair mistakenly sits in Lt. Commander "Bossman" Chen's Rapier and then follows up by mistaking his [[RightInFrontOfMe new Wing Commander]] for a [[WrenchWench grease monkey]]. He does ''not'' make a good first impression.
77	* ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'' shows Professor Xavier's wheelchair, now empty.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Literature]]
81	* In ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' and its many adaptations, the Ghost of Christmas Present foresees Tiny Tim's empty chair and his crutch tucked into a corner by next year's Christmas if things do not change from their current course of events. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does him one better and ''shows'' Scrooge the empty chair, along with Tim's grieving family.
82	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' has a similar tradition, where the throne of Ankh-Morpork remains vacant. Since this is [[DeconstructiveParody Discworld]] we're talking about, only the truly deranged mourn the passing of the royal line, and the golden throne itself is mostly gold foil over rotten wood.
83	* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', for the remainder of the term after [[spoiler:Dumbledore's death]], his seat at the high table is left empty.
84	* In ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', Guide editor Lig Lury Jr. vanished on a lunch break. Because the Editorial Lunch Break had become the stuff of legend for the Guide's workforce and because Lig was already renowned for his epic lunch breaks, he's assumed to have never handed in his editorship and, in spite of the fact that he must be long dead by now, all subsequent editors of the Guide hold the title of "acting editor". Some staff still maintain the romantic notion that Lig will return one day to put in a solid afternoon's work. His office and desk have been preserved in the Guide's head office just as he left them, with the exception of an additional sign: "Lig Lury Jr, Editor (Missing, presumed fed)"
85	* The ending of ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' has [[spoiler:Lyra propose that she and Will sit at a bench that exists both in their Oxfords for an hour each year to reminisce on their relationship]].
86	* ''Literature/HorusHeresy:'' One book features a grand table set out with twenty-one chairs, one for the God-Emperor and the twenty Primarchs, with the banners of their respective Primarchs draped over them, save the two reserved for the Lost Primarchs. Everyone knows those two are never coming, on account of [[RiddleForTheAges whatever it was that happened to them]], but decorum must still be followed.
87	-->'''Roboute Guilliam:''' Their absence must be marked. Places must be left for them. That is simply honor.
88	* In ''Literature/LittleWomen'', the March family keeps Beth's favorite chair empty as a memorial to her after she dies, along with her piano and her sewing basket with the work she left unfinished in it.
89	* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', the kingdom of Gondor has had no king for generations, and the steward has been ruling in the king's place. Even after the line of stewards have given up on the king ever returning, the king's throne remains empty and the steward sits on a smaller throne to the side.
90	* In the ''Spud Sweetgrass'' novels, the seat at the local diner where Spud's dead father always used to sit is always kept empty. In his role as narrator, Spud mentions that sometimes a customer won't realize this and will try to move that chair to another table, but his mother and her friends always politely explain the tradition.
91	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' [[Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]]
92	** ''Literature/TheRomulanWay'' states that upon learning of the death of his mentor Surak (a.k.a. [[MessianicArchetype Vulcan Confucius]]), S'task, leader of the proto-Romulans searching for a new homeworld and [[APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil a former follower of Surak]], placed a sword across an empty chair in the Travelers' council chamber in his memory. The chair was eventually placed in the Romulan Senate and remained empty but for the sword into the present day. The last book of the series is named for the chair, [[spoiler:and after becoming Empress of the Rihannsu, Ael t'Rllaillieu orders a new chair brought in for her throne because she will not sit in the Empty Chair]].
93	** In the ''Literature/StarTrekNewFrontier'' novel "Requiem", the first set after the original ''Excalibur'' blew up, the crew takes a post-mortem at a bar, and Shelby insists on keeping a seat free for the missing and presumed dead Captain Calhoun. At the end of the scene, someone asks to take it, and Shelby, now alone, says "Take it. It's just an empty chair."
94	* The same happens as well in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' after Rand liberates Andor from one of the Forsaken. Rather than sit on the throne, which he has no claim to, he sits on a (very fancy) chair in front of it. His intention is to show that he's preserving the country until its [[RightfulKingReturns rightful royalty can return]], but Elayne, the heiress, sees it as him holding the throne as a BattleTrophy.
95	* In [[http://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/interlude-end/ the last epilogue chapter]] of ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', [[spoiler:Tattletale]] arranges the seating at the meeting to include extra chairs for [[spoiler:Alec, Brian, and Taylor]].
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
99	* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
100	** {{Subverted\|Trope}}: After the death of [[spoiler: Emperor Cartagia]], Londo [[YouAreInCommandNow ends up temporarily at the head of government]] in the middle of a crisis. As he is issuing orders to the various members of the court, he takes a seat in the [[spoiler: Emperor's throne]], to the horror and protest of the others present. He quickly jumps out and apologizes. Then turns to Vir and quips about how [[{{Foreshadowing}} it felt very natural to him]]. [[spoiler: Unbeknownst to anyone else in the Court, Londo and Vir were behind Cartagia's death, somewhat adding to their lack of decorum and mourning.]]
101	** Also played straight, with Minbari dining rituals. An extra table setting is laid out for Valen, a historical figure and religious leader for the Minbari. Before eating, each person at the table places a piece of food on Valen's plate. [[spoiler: A bit HilariousInHindsight when a season later, it is revealed that Valen is actually a time-traveling Commander Sinclair, meaning they were actually leaving a place at the table for the station's previous commander.]]
102	** Just an episode after they are all but wiped out by a plague, the seat of the Markab ambassador is still in the council chambers, still labeled, only it now sits empty.
103	* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'': In the first series, Richard the Third's chair is left vacant.
104	-->'''Edmund:''' So sorry I'm late. ''(tries to sit in the empty chair)''\
105	'''King''': Hold it! You dare sit there, boy? That was King Richard's seat -- would you insult his ghost?\
106	'''Richard the Third:''' ''(materialising in the chair as a ghost)'' Yes, find your own chair, you smelly little dog's pizzle.
107	* ''Series/{{Castle\|2009}}'', "The Dead Pool": Castle invites his protege (a newly published crime novelist) to come to the authors' poker game, and he tries to sit down in a particular chair. The group warns him off, saying "That's [[Creator/StephenJCannell Cannell's]] chair." He then gets a lecture that the group keeps the chair of a dead player empty for a year. This aired [[InMemoriam after Stephen Cannell's actual death]].
108	* ''Series/{{Community}}'': The members of the study group always sit at the same positions around the table. When [[spoiler:Pierce -- and later, Troy -- leave Greendale]], their absence is felt, and the others give {{Meaningful Look}}s at the vacant chairs. It takes a while before anyone else is allowed to sit there.
109	* ''Series/CriminalMinds'': In the backstory of "A Place at the Table," a single mother always set an extra place for her deceased war hero husband so that his son would never forget him. Unfortunately, the son found out that this was all a lie. His father was actually a wealthy man from the same town who had a family and was keeping his mother as a mistress. A combination of discovering this and his father cutting his mother off financially led him to snap and recreate the empty-chair holiday meal by [[spoiler:murdering every member of his father's family except the father himself and sitting their bodies up at the dinner table, so that he and his father would be the only ones actually sitting together.]]
110	* In the aftermath of ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'', Barry Allen reveals the round table for the not-yet-named Justice League, along with chairs [[Series/TheFlash2014 for]] [[Series/Supergirl2015 each of]] [[Series/LegendsOfTomorrow the]] [[Series/BlackLightning2018 seven]] [[Series/Batwoman2019 founding]] [[Series/SupermanAndLois members]] with their symbols emblazoned on them. There was an eighth chair [[spoiler: with a green arrowhead, honoring the deceased [[Series/{{Arrow}} Green Arrow]].]]
111	* On the December 7, 2015, episode of ''Series/TheDailyShowWithTrevorNoah'', Creator/JonStewart, who had stepped down as host of ''Series/TheDailyShow'' in August, came back to criticize Congress for allowing healthcare for 9/11 first responders to expire. On one memorable 2010 episode, he had four first responders there to talk about what they've endured since then. In 2015, he had ''one'' (Two of the men are now too ill to appear. One of them has passed away from his cancer).
112	* On ''After the Catch'' (a segment of ''Series/DeadliestCatch''), after Phil died, they left his chair empty and hung a picture of him on a column behind it.
113	* In ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' after [[spoiler:Adam's]] funeral, Becky plans a bonfire reception and places an empty chair near the firepit to represent [[spoiler:his presence]]. Her friends initially think it's weird, but it later turns into a memorial as the night goes on.
114	* In a season three episode of ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', Sophia befriends an elderly gentleman named Alvin on the boardwalk who always sits on the same park bench every day, and the two become inseparable. It turns out Alvin has Alzheimer's disease and is to be moved to New York where he can receive proper care. At the end of the episode, sometime after Alvin has already moved away, Sophia sits on the bench alone reminiscing about him, and she scolds someone who tries to sit in Alvin's place, screaming "Hey! Someone's sittin' there!". The episode closes on the empty park bench as she and Dorothy make their way home.
115	* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' had a variation. After George's death, the residents kept the locker he used empty to show respect. When new residents from [[TheRival Mercy West]] show up, one of them tries to use the empty locker, which becomes the last straw for George's [[PlatonicLifePartners friend]] Izzie.
116	* Several days after Matt Devlin was gunned down on ''Series/LawAndOrderUK'', his partner Ronnie and junior CP Alesha Phillips commiserate back at the police station. After Ronnie walked away, Alesha took a moment to sadly gaze at Matt's now deserted chair and desk.
117	* ''{{Series/Leverage}}'': "[[Recap/LeverageS02E11TheBottleJob The Bottle Job]]" opens with Cora [=McRory=] moving through a wake at her late father's bar and finds some of his poker buddies in the back playing a game. They honor their late friend by keeping a chair open for him.
118	* ''Series/MidnightCaller'': Months after Rusty Collins is shot, his chair sits empty at the dining room table.
119	* In the ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk Goes to Group Therapy," when Monk has his first group therapy session with Dr. Bell, he notices an empty seat and learns that it belonged to a young woman who used to be in the sessions until she apparently drowned in her swimming pool. That death is later proven to be murder.
120	* After Kate dies on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', the other characters insist on giving her an 'empty desk' memorial. Ultimately, their new teammate is allowed to sit there, either signifying their acceptance of Kate's death and their new teammate or that having Ziva sit off at a lonely desk would be awkward for group shots. Either way.
121	* After Phil Hartman died, ''Series/NewsRadio'' did an episode acknowledging the death of his character, Bill [=McNeal=]. In the end, the others take various items including his desk, until only his empty chair is left.
122	* After Creator/DickClark died in 2012, his hosting booth in Times Square was not used for ''Series/NewYearsRockinEve 2013''.
123	* After Quentin Fields' death in ''Series/OneTreeHill'', Haley prevents anybody from sitting at his desk and later, she and her students proceed to write goodbye messages on his desk in his honor.
124	* In the series finale of ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'', as she's waxing rhapsodic about her family and how she changed things, the camera circles around the kitchen, pans past a smiling, laughing Dan... then pans back to an empty chair as we get the WhamLine of "I lost Dan after his heart attack last year."
125	* The episode ''My Five Stages'' of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' deals with J.D. and Dr. Cox working to try and make a terminally ill patient as comfortable as possible, and dealing with grief as they watch her go. The show opens with them making her a fake beach on the roof of the hospital and relaxing with deck chairs and trying to avoid talking about what's coming. The bittersweet ending has J.D. and Dr. Cox sitting there again, smiling after accepting that she's gone, but still looking sadly at the empty chair she occupied.
126	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
127	** Inverted in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' "Who Mourns for Morn". Quark has just explained to Odo, that regular bar-fly Morn is an unofficial mascot (sales go up when he's around, and plummet when he's not), when a report comes in that Morn's ship has been destroyed. At the memorial (thrown by Quark with an admission price), Odo teases Quark that all his grief and sympathy is really just about how he's going to start losing money now. Quark just gives him a knowing smile, and grabs a passing customer to sit down in Morn's now empty chair, launching into a speech for the gathered mourners about how the best way to honor their missing friend is to always keep his seat at the bar occupied, "keep it warm, for Morn". The ploy totally works, and the rest of the episode ''always'' has somebody in the seat. In a CastingGag, the initial passing customer is actually the actor who played Morn, out of the heavy makeup.
128	** And played straight in ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'''s "The Best Of Both Worlds, Part 2", where Riker's refusal to sit in Picard's chair shows both his refusal to acknowledge the loss of Picard and his reluctance to take on the position of Captain that he held. Guinan eventually kicks his arse into sorting himself out.
129	*** Before Guinan does so there's even a scene where Riker issues commands to the crew in Picard's ready-room, with no one even walking around to Picard's side of the desk. When everyone's been given their orders and Riker is left alone, he looks to the chair and forlornly asks the absent Picard, [[WhatWouldXDo "What would you do?"]]
130	** An internet meme in the wake of Creator/{{Leonard Nimoy}}'s passing has two images from [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries The Original Series]]: One has Kirk, Spock, [=McCoy=], and Scotty sitting around a conference table smiling. The other has Kirk sitting alone at the same table, visibly sad (Creator/DeForestKelley and Creator/JamesDoohan having died in previous years).
131	* On ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'', after the death of his best friend & drinking buddy Alaric, Damon is shown several times leaving him an empty barstool (and pouring him a drink) at the Mystic Grill.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Music]]
135	* After Bon Scott's death in 1980, the other members of Music/{{ACDC}} went back to Australia to visit Bon's parents, who got out some chairs for them to sit down. They got out one extra by accident, and the sight of the empty chair caused Bon's mother to break down crying.
136	* The video for Music/AvengedSevenfold's "Nightmare" ends with a shot of The Rev's unoccupied drum kit. The booklet with the album features a picture of the four remaining members drinking at a bar with The Rev's coat lying on an empty stool.
137	* The music video of [[Music/LinkinPark Chester Bennington]]'s posthumous song "Cross Off" in collaboration with [[Music/LambOfGod Mark Morton]] features a lone microphone.
138	* Music/KateBush covered "Rocket Man" by Music/EltonJohn for a tribute album in 1991. This happened to be one of the last tracks that session guitarist Alan Murphy got to play on before he died of AIDS in October 1989, and so there's a chair occupied by a guitar and a candle in the video.
139	* The live choreography for Music/HiraganaKeyakizaka46's "Soredemo Aruiteru" prominently features an empty chair, symbolizing Neru Nagahama's departure from the group in 2017.
140	* The music video for Music/{{Lagwagon}}'s "Heartbreaking Music" ends on a shot of an empty drumkit, as the song and album center around the death of founding drummer Derrick Plourde.
141	* Music/ManicStreetPreachers traditionally leave an empty microphone on-stage during live performances as a tribute to their original rhythm guitarist and lyricist, Richey Edwards, who disappeared (and is presumed to have committed suicide given the available evidence) in 1995.
142	* In-song, Music/WillieNelson's "Red-Headed Stranger" has one in the bay pony that accompanies the Stranger. It was his deceased wife's horse. He shoots and kills a woman who tries to steal it, and went free, because "you can't hang a man for killing a woman who's trying to steal his horse."
143	* Referenced in "Sonny" by ''Music/NewFoundGlory'':
144	--> An empty chair at all the tables,\
145	but I'll be seeing you when all my days boil down
146	* Music/PaulAndStorm left out a chair for Music/DavidBowie during their PAX South 2016 show, before performing a cover of "Music/SpaceOddity".
147	* After Music/{{The Rolling Stones\|Band}} drummer Charlie Watts passed away in August 2021, Music/KeithRichards honored him with [[https://twitter.com/officialKeef/status/1430308089950085121 a photograph of his empty drumset]] that included a "Closed" sign on it.
148	* Music/TheTravelingWilburys' music video for "End of the Line" cuts to an empty rocking chair during Music/RoyOrbison's verse, as Orbison died prior to shooting the video.
149	* The page quote comes from the poem "The Vacant Chair" by Henry S. Washburn, which was later set to music by George Frederick Root and became a popular song during the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar. It was written in the memory of John William Grout who was killed in the Battle of Ball's Bluff at the age of 18.
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:ProfessionalWrestling]]
153	* A major feature of the August 25, 2023, episode of ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown''--dedicated to honoring the memory of Wrestling/BrayWyatt, who passed away the previous day--was a tribute of shining a spotlight on Bray's trademark rocking chair in the middle of the stage.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Radio]]
157	* When ''Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue'' panellist Willie Rushton passed away after over 20 years regularly appearing on the show, the show realised he could never truly be replaced and all the possible substitutes were younger, "alternative" comedians with very different styles to him. Hence, his seat was turned into a permanent guest spot.
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	[[folder:Theatre]]
161	* In the comedy sketch ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinner_for_One Dinner for One]]'' (later famously performed for West German television by British comedians Freddie Frinton and May Warden), the aging socialite Miss Sophie keeps four empty places at her birthday dinner in honour of her gentleman friends, but her butler James has to impersonate each of them and take their toasts after each course, causing him to become increasingly inebriated as the evening progresses.
162	* The idea is touched upon in the chorus of the song 'One More Angel' from ''Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'', with the line "There's one less place at our table." However, Joseph isn't actually dead; the brothers secretly sold him into slavery, and are merely pretending to be sorrowful for his 'passing'.
163	* In ''Theatre/JourneysEnd'', Stanhope chews out Raleigh for sitting on [[spoiler: Osbourne's]] bed after he dies in a raid on the enemy trenches.
164	* This trope is invoked in ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' with "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables", [[spoiler: as Marius, the SoleSurvivor, remembers the rest of his comrades who died in the uprising.]]
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	[[folder:Video Games]]
168	* In ''VideoGame/BeaconPines'', Luka's deceased father's old fishing chair still stands by Old Pickler's Pound, where the two of them used to fish. Jetson, the local angler, offers Luka to bring it home with him since he does most of his fishing standing up anyway, but Luka doesn't like the idea.
169	* In Dian Wei's ending of ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 9'', Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Xu Zhu are drinking and mourning his death. There's an empty chair beside Cao Cao who suddenly stood up and looked at the starry night, commemorating that he would never forget Dian Wei's HeroicSacrifice at Wan Castle.
170	* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', Castle Cheydinhal has an empty throne where the late countess once sat.
171	* Shows up in ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' among [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness The Conclave]] with the three remaining members keeping the seat of their fallen comrade empty and even keep a cup of tea ready at his seat.
172	* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration 2'', Tetsuya Onodera refuses to take Captain Daitetsu's seat after his death, carrying on as Acting Captain.[[note]]Their ship, the Hagane, is one big ''Yamato'' reference.[[/note]] [[{{Jerkass}} Lee Linjun]] mocks this after his FaceHeelTurn, which makes him losing to Tetsuya all the more satisfying to watch.
173	* In ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' Fiona impersonates a tour guide and shows some people around Handsome Jack's office, a member of the tour group will notice an empty chair and Fiona can pass it off as one of these, left empty to remind people that Jack is dead. [[spoiler:It turns out it was just a guard's chair left empty because he had to leave his post to go to the bathroom.]]
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
177	* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
178	** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'''s trial room has a place for everyone to stand. After someone dies, a crossed-out monochrome portrait on a simple stand is set up there. Monokuma even makes sure to adjust it to the proper height, so that the picture's right where their face would've been were they still alive...
179	** The sequel ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' takes this a step further. Some of the crosses on the portraits are customised (mostly) in a manner relevant to the deceased. For example, [[spoiler:[[TheStoic Peko Pekoyama's]] cross is a shinai and sheath (she was the [[MasterSwordsman Ultimate Swordswoman]]) and [[BornLucky Nagito Komaeda's]] cross is dripping with blood (in reference to his gruesome suicide)]].
180	[[/folder]]
181
182	[[folder:Web Original]]
183	* ''WebAnimation/{{Hololive}}'':
184	** After [[Characters/HololiveJapanGenerationFive Aloe Mano]] departed a mere two weeks after debuting [[note]]She had accidentally leaked information about her real identity during a test run, becoming the victim of such vicious online harassment that even other Vtuber companies felt compelled to set up support services in case something similar happened to their talents[[/note]], when her Genmates built their own tower in Minecraft they left one room empty for her. Similarly, other Hololive members sometimes make it a point to leave 5 gifts for the members of Generation 5 (e.g. [[Characters/HololiveHaatoCh Akai Haato]] once left 4 cakes for the Generation 5 members, then turned back and placed a fifth in the box).
185	** Averted when [[Characters/HololiveJapanGenerationThreeFantasy Rushia Uruha]]'s contract was unfortunately terminated on the 24th of February, 2022.[[note]]Unlike [[Characters/HololiveJapanGenerationFour Coco Kiryu]]'s amicable departure, the nature of Rushia's (the official explanation was that Rushia had breached her contract by leaking official business documents) meant that [[{{Unperson}} her Youtube channel and Twitter would be scrubbed]].[[/note]] Rather than leave Rushia's house on the Hololive JP server empty and a depressing reminder of how she would never return to it, [[NiceGirl Akai Haato]] lay claim to it and began making repairs.
186	[[/folder]]
187
188	[[folder:Real Life]]
189	* The {{Trope Namer\|s}} is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_Chair_Memorial Empty Chair Memorial]] in Juneau, Alaska, United States, dedicated to the 53 Japanese-Americans then living there who were forcibly relocated to internment camps during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The name refers to high schooler John Tanaka who was relocated a month before his graduation, and whose classmates left him an empty chair during said graduation.
190	* Many [[UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} Christian]] churches have a chair for Jesus, which is otherwise unused.
191	* A similar custom occurs in UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}: the door is left open during the [[UsefulNotes/JewishHolidays Passover]] Seder to invite in "the stranger" (partly a token of SacredHospitality, partly an expectation that the Prophet Elijah might show up at any moment). A cup is also left for Elijah, and a seat is sometimes left for him/the stranger as well.
192	** There's a short story by Creator/HarryTurtledove in which "the stranger" does arrive in the shape of a {{Golem}} who rescues the Jewish family in question from the Nazi occupation of Poland.
193	** During the 1970s and 1980s, to indicate solidarity with Soviet Jews who were barred from practicing their religion, many a bar and bat mitzvah in the United States featured an empty chair on the pulpit with the name of a Soviet Jewish child who was unable to have a bar/bat mitzvah celebration.
194	* In the UsefulNotes/{{Amish}} community, whenever someone leaves the community, from then on their family keeps setting them a place at the dinner table. Apparently, them knowing that this is occurring is supposed to try to guilt them into coming back.
195	* Many formal dinners in the Canadian military (and others) have an empty chair in memory of fallen members of the military.
196	** For the American military, the custom is to include a military cap with the table setting, especially for tables set for fallen members of the various branches, as if they had simply walked away and would be back any moment.
197	* Common in military memorials, in both the MissingManFormation and the tradition of riderless horses during funeral processions.
198	* ''[[http://regimentalrogue.com/srsub/mess_dinner_organization_c.htm The Toast To Fallen Comrades,]]'' given during Mess Dinners in the Canadian Armed Forces, will call attention to the round white table in the corner set with specific items and an empty chair. After listing off what each of the items represents, the PMC will point out [[TearJerker "The chair is empty because they are no longer with us."]]
199	* Auto racing has a version where pole position on the starting grid is left empty in respect of a driver who recently died. At the 1994 Monaco [[UsefulNotes/FormulaOne Grand Prix]] both front-row positions were left empty in memory of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, who both died during the previous race weekend.
200	** Another variation is the standard practice of owners and drivers of historic race cars to leave the original driver's name tag (usually on the side of the cockpit) on the car when competing, even though that driver may be long gone.
201	* Conservative commentator Barbara Olson was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77, en route to participate in a taping of the television show ''Politically Incorrect'' in Los Angeles, when the plane was flown into the Pentagon in the September 11 terrorist attacks. When the show resumed taping after a brief hiatus, host Bill Maher left an empty seat on the panel for a week in Olson's honor.
202	** To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attacks, 2977 chairs were placed on the lawn in New York City's Bryant Park in memory of all killed.
203	** The Pentagon memorial features 184 chairs, representing those who died there, each inscribed with a victim's name.
204	* The "Field of Empty Chairs" at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. 168 empty chairs sitting in a park where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood, each chair representing an individual who died in the 1995 bombing attack that destroyed it. This includes 19 smaller chairs to represent the children who died that day.
205	* To prove that this trope isn't necessarily a {{Death Trope\|s}}, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony kept a chair empty for that year's winner, Liu Xiaobo, who was being held as a political prisoner in China at the time. The prize was placed on his empty chair.
206	* At many high school and college graduation ceremonies, if a member of the class died before graduating, a seat is sometimes left empty to mark where they would have sat.
207	** It's not usually an official practice, but in many schools, if a student dies during the year for any number of reasons, many times, any seats they claimed in a classroom may remain empty for the rest of the school year, whether said classes had official seating charts or no. For example, Katherine Hruby was a high schooler when her brother killed her and her parents, and her classmates left her seat empty for the rest of the school year.
208	* For the Sons of the American Legion meetings, it is required to set out a separate chair draped with the [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/United_States_POW-MIA_flag.svg/466px-United_States_POW-MIA_flag.svg.png flag for the Prisoners of War and Missing In Action]] as a visible reminder of those who have yet to return to American soil.
209	* The Russian Imperial throne was recently restored and put in the halls of Kremlin to serve as one of these. Russia isn't a monarchy anymore and won't be anytime soon, but the empty throne stands there, [[TruthInTelevision exactly like in Gondor and Ankh-Morpork]].
210	* The [[http://moralauthority.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/3_speechless.jpg "Speechless"]] lithograph created in memoriam for Creator/MelBlanc is a variation on this (it's a microphone instead of a chair).
211	* A [[https://36.media.tumblr.com/dd1aead784a1eeed96c73bc0b2e7ffdf/tumblr_mrcslphc5e1qcbbj6o2_400.jpg similar lithograph]] was created to memorialize Creator/ChuckJones.
212	* Creator/PeterJennings' chair on Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''World News Tonight'' has remained vacant since his death in 2005.
213	* [[http://www.capedwonder.com/images/picture-folder/images/tribute-letters/reeve4.jpg This cartoon,]] published shortly after the death of Creator/ChristopherReeve.
214	* The three remaining members of Creator/TheFiresignTheatre did this at the end of their memorial performance for [[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3835782292044&set=pb.1202550043.-2207520000.1376252628.&type=3&theater Peter Bergman.]]
215	* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' creator Creator/CharlesMSchulz built and owned the Redwood Empire Ice Arena (aka Snoopy's Home Ice) in his home of Santa Rosa, California. The arena has a small restaurant called The Warm Puppy Cafe, where Schulz would eat daily at the same table. While he was alive, the cafe kept a RESERVED sign on the table when he wasn't there. Since he passed away [[https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/1b/25/87/9b/charles-schulz-table.jpg the sign has been left on the table permanently.]]
216	* The first edition of ''Series/MeetThePress'' after longtime moderator Tim Russert's death from a heart attack in June 2008 had the seat Russert used on the show left vacant.
217	* There are proposals to install 185 empty chairs in Christchurch, UsefulNotes/NewZealand, to remember the victims of the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
218	* Many bus companies did this in 2005 after Rosa Parks died.
219	** In Sacramento, California, the Regional Transit system has an annual day in which one seat near the front of each bus in service that day is labeled as reserved in Ms. Parks' honor, typically on her birthday (February 4).
220	* The Creator/GeneSiskel memorial episode of ''Series/SiskelAndEbert'' had Creator/RogerEbert sitting across from Siskel's empty theater seat.
221	** Ebert's traditional seat at the [[http://www.filmteknik.com/ Lake Street Screening Room]] (a small private theater that is used to screen films for Chicago-area critics, among other things) was decorated with flowers after his death and has not been used since.
222	* Many twelve-step groups (like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous) have a tradition of laying out an extra chair to represent those who died from addiction or those who've yet to seek help.
223	** When New York magazine featured 35 women who'd been sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby on its cover, an empty seat was left to represent those still too afraid to come forward.
224	* Anytime the English Football Association (or any of their teams) shows tribute to the fallen 96 in the Hillsborough Disaster, their go-to tributes are either a moment of silence or 96 reserved and empty chairs with Liverpool scarves draped across them. Many players often wear black bands around their arms for such matches, and if they score, most of them will kiss the band while standing in front of said chairs as their goal celebration. At Hillsborough itself, there are 96 seats on the first two rows of the Leppings Lane stand (where the disaster happened) that are white instead of blue and are covered with a rose during memorial events.
225	* Since 1873, the United States Supreme Court has commemorated the death of a Justice by draping black cloth over their chair in the courtroom.
226	* The first church service after the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutherland_Springs_church_shooting Sutherland Springs massacre]] featured 26 empty chairs representing the victims.
227	* After the 2018 death of chef, author, and CNN correspondent Creator/AnthonyBourdain, local New York deli [[https://twitter.com/Van_Tieu/status/1005105017194532865 Barney Greengrass]] set out his usual breakfast order at an empty table.
228	* According to legend, Alexander the Great's generals would set up the throne for him when they met to strategize during their ill-fated attempt to rule his Empire after his death through his mentally disabled brother Philip. That didn't last very long, and they were soon at war with each other over possession of Alexander's body (and other things). Only one of the ancient sources for Alexander's life mentions this though, so it's unclear how true this is.
229	* Rugby union player Keith Murdoch, to date the only All Black to ever be sent home from a tour after an incident in Cardiff where he punched a security guard, never made it back to New Zealand, instead disappearing in Australia, where he spent much of the rest of his life, keeping a low profile. The team manager would regret reversing his initial decision to let Murdoch stay, and several of his teammates would regret failing to support him. Until his death, there would always be an empty chair reserved for him at All Black reunions in case he chose to turn up (he never did), and even now the team would hold a memorial whenever they visit Cardiff.
230	* At the premiere screening of ''Series/GoodOmens'', the seat beside Creator/NeilGaiman was reserved for his co-author, the late Creator/TerryPratchett, as it had been their dream (and Sir Terry's dying wish) to see ''Good Omens'' adapted for the screen. Sir Terry's seat was occupied instead by his trademark hat and scarf, and a packet of popcorn[[note]]Sir Terry had said prior to his death that he wouldn't believe a ''Good Omens'' adaptation would be made until he was sitting at the premiere eating popcorn[[/note]].
231	* [[https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/12/18/jersey-shore-starbucks-commemorates-late-customer-with-honorary-chair/ A Starbucks in Rio Grande, New Jersey]] retired the regular chair of Jim Brannan, a regular customer, after his death in 2017.
232	* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_Chair_Memorial Literally]] in Juneau, Alaska, in tribute to the 53 Japanese residents displaced into internment camps.
233	* Families will often do this at functions like Christmas or Thanksgiving for family members who have died, especially if it's the first holiday without them.
234	* In October 2020, a group of people who had been touched by the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic (either by being infected themselves or losing a loved one) set out 20,000 empty chairs on the lawn across from the White House as a tribute to the 200,000 people who had died in the epidemic up to that point. Despite the scaled-down nature of it (which was necessary in order to make the project feasible), they were able to use this as a tool to further drive their point home, pointing out the vast expanse of chairs before reminding onlookers that each chair in that expanse represented ''ten'' people.
235	* Multiple street parties and lunches were planned as part of the celebrations of [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Queen Elizabeth]]'s Platinum Jubilee, but one neighborhood set up a table with ''[[https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/30/grenfells-72-victims-remembered-with-poignant-jubilee-street-party-no-one-will-attend-16736457/?ito=socialmetrouktwitter 72 empty seats]]'' to commemorate those killed in the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Tower_fire Grenfell Tower Fire]] five years prior.
236	* Following the Uvalde, Texas shooting in which 19 children and two teachers were killed, students at high schools in New Jersey and Staten Island set up an empty classroom in protest of gun violence.
237	* On Veteran's Day (formerly Armistice Day, i.e. 11th Day of the 11th Month), many table service restaurants will have a single table set in remembrance of the fallen similar to the military custom described above. Texas Roadhouse in particular is known for observing this tradition. https://www.newslinq.com/texas-roadhouse-veteran-initiative/
238	* In the United States Navy, lost and sunk submarines are symbolically considered "[[https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=227887 Still on Patrol]]" (since by definition, their patrol only ends when they return to port), even if they're eventually found.
239	* After ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' actor Johnny Hardwick, who voiced Dale Gribble, passed away in August 2023, many KOTH fans paid tribute to him through art showing Hank Hill, Bill Dauterive, and Boomhauer in the alley with Dale's spot empty (with his hat, sunglasses, and/or cigarettes situated where he'd stand), [[https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=671061425042103&set=a.553725523442361 such as this]].
240	* After Creator/MatthewPerry passed away in October 2023, many ''Series/{{Friends}}'' fans paid tribute to him by sharing a screencap from the episode "The One Where Joey Moves Out", [[https://www.tbsnews.net/sites/default/files/styles/very_big_1/public/images/2023/10/29/370126294_1057340292089713_992537943294999637_n_1.jpg where Joey turns to talk to Chandler]], but notices his La-Z-Boy chair is empty.
241	* Jaime Guttenberg was an avid dancer who was killed in the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkland_high_school_shooting Parkland shooting]]. Shortly after her death, her dance team performed their routine--which ''already'' incorporated chairs, and indeed, left hers empty as a tribute to her.
242	[[/folder]]

Context Main / EmptyChairMemorial