Many major awards ceremonies, such as the Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards, take a few minutes to present an "In Memoriam" montage acknowledging major film/TV/what-have-you personalities who died in the period between ceremonies. However, the Academy Awards have been accused of limiting the number of acknowledged personalities in their use of this trope by omitting lesser-known but much-loved figures in favor of big names who have less-popular film resumes. Despite this, the Academy Awards have tried to include tributes to other people in the entertainment industry or acknowledge more recent passings — for example, at the 2014 Academy Awards, after camera assistant Sarah Jones was hit by a train on set in February, her name flashed onscreen after the proper segment had finished, and when Bill Paxton passed away the day before the 2016 ceremony, presenter Jennifer Aniston mentioned him before the proper segment played.
Whitney Houston passed away the day before the 2012 Grammys. Despite not having enough time to prepare any proper tribute, many of the presenters, award winners, and host LL Cool J paid tribute to her throughout the night, and Jennifer Hudson did a last-minute performance of “I Will Always Love You”.
The 2020 Grammys contained a similar example- just hours before the ceremony, basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna passed away in a helicopter crash. Although he wasn't a musician, the ceremony was unofficially dedicated to Kobe and Gianna, and many performers and award winners took care to express their condolences or include a last-minute tribute to the pair (i.e. Lil Nas X placing one of Bryant's jerseys in the background of his set).
Home Movie: The Princess Bride: Carl Reiner, father of the director of the original film, is the final actor to play the Grandfather, and passed away three days after recording his scene, the day the series premiered. The series as a whole is dedicated to his memory.
Elayne Boosler's first two stand-up comedy specials, Party of One and Broadway Baby, end with dedications to Andy Kaufman, who mentored and collaborated with her in comedy (she had initially tried breaking into showbusiness as a singer) and was even her lover for a time in the early 1970s; he died about a year before Party of One was shot. In the case of that special, an audio recording of him explaining to her how any performer must keep going out on stage and performing if they want to get anywhere is played as it ends.
8 Simple Rules: One episode is dedicated to John Ritter. The episode in question deals with the death of the father character that Ritter portrayed.
The 15/Love episode "Curveballs" ends with "...for Jaclyn and Vadim".
An episode of The Amazing Race 16 was dedicated to the memory of He Pingping, the world's shortest man who was able to walk, who handed out clues to racers following one of the leg's Roadblocks. Pingping passed away a little more than a month before the episode's original broadcast.
A Season 6 episode taking place in Sri Lanka was dedicated to the victims of the 2004 Christmas tsunami that ravaged it months later.
The Season 8 episode "Think Like an Office Chair" featured a similar dedication to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
A Season 22 episode 11 "Beacon of Hope" the final episode was dedicated to David Gene Gibbs, a member of the camera crew, who died in a helicopter crash while filming a series for Discovery Channel.
All Saints: A 2006 episode was dedicated to Belinda Emmett, who had played ward clerk Jodi Horner five years earlier and succumbed to cancer.
When Bob Saget, the original host of America's Funniest Home Videos, died on January 9, 2022, the rerun that aired on January 16 began with a pre-taped message from the show's current host Alfonso Ribiero talking about his proud spot following in Bob's footsteps as current host of the show. This was followed by a montage of "Bob being Bob" and a clip from the show's 20th anniversary special. Every new episode after that through the rest of the season had a segment called "AFV Remembers the Saget years" that featured a segment from one of Bob's episodes.
The final audition of Season 12 of America's Got Talent was Brandon Rogers, who was killed in a car accident a month before it aired. It was both preceded and followed by message cards dedicating the performance to him.
The Angel episode "Long Days Journey" was dedicated to Glenn Quinn, who played Doyle. Doyle had died in the first season, and Quinn died several years later, of an accidental drug overdose.
On Barney Miller, after Jack Soo (Yamana) died, they had a fourth-wall-breaking episode ("Jack Soo: A Retrospective") where the cast showed their favorite Jack Soo moments.
The first episode of the Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot was dedicated to cast member Luke Perry, who died of a stroke on March 4, 2019.
On (Season 14, Episode 3) 'Fear No Evil" was dedicated to Treat Williams.
Cake Boss dedicated one episode to Salvatore Picinich, a long-time friend and employee, after his death from cancer.
Call Your Mother: The episode "Sunday Dinner" was dedicated to the show's creator Kari Lizer's father Jerry Dayton Lizer, who died of COVID-19.
During Season 5 of Canada's Worst Driver, a contestant's brother-in-law was killed by a careless driver. The contestant was allowed to leave (though not graduate), and the episode ended with video clips of the other contestants talking about their own "failures to yield"note the specific charge filed against the driver who caused the death, and something everyone on that season was guilty of, a memorial card, and Silent Credits.
The Carpool Karaoke: The Series featuring Linkin Park and Ken Jeong was dedicated to lead singer Chester Bennington, who took his life four days after it was filmed.
The Castle episode "Punked", which aired 10 days after the death of recurring guest star Stephen J. Cannell, closed with a tributeLogo Joke of the Stephen J. Cannell Productions Vanity Plate featuring the following message: "Stephen J. Cannell. Colleague, mentor, friend. We'll miss you, pal." (Also, the falling paper drifts off the screen instead of forming into the logo as usual.) Additionally, within the show itself, Cannell's poker chair has become an Empty Chair Memorial.
''The Challenge": Battle of the Exes ll (season 26) was dedicated to cast members Diem Brown and Ryan Knight, both of whom died in November 2014, two months after filming ended. This was Diem's and Knight's final challenge appearances prior to their deaths, and MTV dedicated this season of The Challenge to their memories.
Spies, Lies and Allies (season 37) season finale on episode 19, was dedicated to Charleston Dupree Berry.
Battle for a New Champion (season 39) episode "Family Knows Best" was dedicated to The Challenge producer Jared March.
''Chicago Fire": The episode "Call Me Mc Holland" was dedicated to Dale Hay.
The episode "Trapped", was dedicated to Vivienne Marie.
''Chicago P.D.": The episode "Escape" was dedicated to Carl Weathers.
Chico and the Man: On the first-aired episode following series star Freddie Prinze's death, a pre-taped comment from co-star Jack Albertson was played over the closing credits, thanking fans and viewers for their show of sympathy.
An episode of the Chopped All-Stars tournament of 2017 was dedicated to contestant and Growing Pains actor Alan Thicke.
Two episodes of Cobra Kai, which is a continuation of The Karate Kid, had episodes dedicated to actors from the original movie who have passed away.
The Season 3 episode "Aftermath" is dedicated to Rob Garrison, the actor who played Tommy, who had a brief Role Reprise in the Season 2 episode, "Take a Right".
A memorable episode of The Cosby Show guest-starring The Muppets was dedicated to their creator Jim Henson in reruns (its premiere broadcast was before Henson's death).
Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 Episode 5 is dedicated to recurring star Richard Lewis who died less than a week before the episode aired.
On The Daily Show, whenever a major celebrity/politician/author/etc. dies and Jon Stewart interviewed him/her in a past episode, the "Moment of Zen" segment that ends the program will be a clip of that interview instead of the usual clip of media idiocy, or another clip with them.
An episode of the documentary series Disney Family Album centered on voice actors was dedicated to Clarence Nash, the original voice of Donald Duck.
The 2013 edition of New Year's Rockin' Eve, the first edition of the show to occur after Dick Clark's death the previous April, included a segment looking back at his time on the show and with Ryan Seacrest assuring viewers that Clark's tradition of counting down the last 60 seconds would continue.
Third Doctor actor Jon Pertwee died between the American and UK broadcasts of the 1996 TV Movie. As a result, the UK broadcast had a dedication to Pertwee at the end. This dedication was included as an Easter Egg on the original 2001 DVD release of the movie...then removed from the 2010 Special Edition DVD.
The credits for Series 4 opener "Partners in Crime" featured the words "In Memory of Howard Atfield", who was meant to reprise his role as Donna's father for the series. Unfortunately he was in ill health and died after his scenes in "Partners in Crime" were shot, and his character role was given to Bernard Cribbins' newspaper salesman in "Voyage of the Damned", who became Donna's grandfather and a key character in the final stretch of David Tennant's run on the show.
"The Waters of Mars" has a dedication card reading "In Memory of Barry Letts", the show's producer during the near-entirety of Jon Pertwee's tenure and the guy responsible for casting Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, who died a month before broadcast, following the trailer for "The End of Time".
Series 6 opener "The Impossible Astronaut"opens, rather than ends, with a dedication card to Sarah Jane Smith actress Elisabeth Sladen, who died 4 days before the episode's premiere. Opening the episode with the dedication helps in establishing the episode's darker Wham Episode tone compared to other season openers. BBC Four also reran her final classic serial "The Hand of Fear" in May 2011, a month after her death, with dedications made by the channel's continuity announcer; these dedications can be found on the 2020 Season 14 Blu-Ray box set. A further long-lasting tribute occurred in 2012 with the introduction of companion Clara Oswald who, it was later confirmed, was named in honor of Elisabeth Clara Sladen.
Though not an "in memory of" card, "The Wedding of River Song" weaves, in a subtle but unmistakable way, a nod to the memory of Nicholas Courtney into the episode, and even manages to make it a plot point of sorts. The Doctor is on a "farewell tour", trying to postpone his rendezvous with his impending death in Utah as much as possible, and so he rings up the nursing home where Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is, hoping to share a drink or two with his old companion. A nurse tells the Doctor that the Brigadier had always spoken highly of him and requested that things be always ready if he ever decided to make a surprise visit to see the Brig — and that he had died a couple of months previous to the Doctor calling. This event is the one that finally spurs the Doctor to stop running and face his fate.
The DVD editions of the classic series serials frequently include DVD Bonus Content tribute featurettes to departed figures related to them, such as a 12-minute Anthony Ainley featurette on "Planet of Fire" and a 34-minute tribute to Barry Letts on "The Dæmons". The classic series Blu-Ray season box sets raise the bar with feature-length tribute documentaries to departed figures involved in a given season who didn't receive featurettes during production of the DVDs, including serial director Lennie Mayne on Season 10, Elisabeth Sladen on Season 14 and John Nathan-Turner on Season 26.
The first part of "Spyfall" ended with a tribute to Terrance Dicks. This was all the more poignant because minutes before the audience was introduced to a new incarnation of the Master, a character Dicks had co-created and defined in his time as script editor.
"Defenders of Earth", a short as part of the announcement trailer for the Blu-Ray set of season 9 of the classic series, was dedicated to Stewart Bevan who played Clifford Jones in "The Green Death" while establishing that The Character Died with Him.
"Wild Blue Yonder" ends with a dedication to Bernard Cribbins, who passed away the previous year shortly after filming scenes for the 60th anniversary specials as Wilfred Mott.
Evil (2019): A title card at the end of the Season 3 premiere paid tribute to the recently deceased Peter Scolari, who'd played the recurring character of Bishop Marx.
Fame did one for Michael Thoma, who played Mr. Crandall. The episode was called "A Tough Act to Follow".
Forensic Files: The first episode of the sequel series Forensic Files II was dedicated to Peter Thomas, the narrator for the original series, who had passed away in 2016, five years after the original show ended and four years before the new show premiered.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive: Season 2 Episode 6 "Raging Bulls" is dedicated to Anthoine Hubert, who died in a multi-car collision in the Formula Two race preceding the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix. The episode itself includes interviews with some of his friends who were racing in Formula One at the time.
Frasier: The season 9 premiere "Don Juan in Hell" is dedicated to executive producer David Angell and his wife Lynn who were killed in the 9/11 attacks shortly before the episode premiered.
The first episode of the revival series ended with a dedication to John Mahoney (Martin Crane), who died in 2018. The credits to that episode also include memorials for Gabrielle James (a script supervisor who had worked on Cheers and the original Frasier) and Archie Lyndhurst (Nicholas Lyndhurst's son)
The fourth season episode "The One with the Cat" was dedicated to series co-creator Martha Kaufman's mother, who passed away shortly before the episode aired.
Following the passing of Matthew Perry in October 2023, Max dedicated every episode of the series to him, as well as the 2021 reunion special.
Frontline's first report of 2016, "Netanyahu at War", was dedicated to Millicent Bell, a journalist and recurring sponsor for both Frontline and another WGBH-produced documentary series, Nova, through the Millicent and Eugene Bell foundation, who had died a few months before.
Because of Cory Monteith's death in July 2013, the third episode of the 2013-14 season of Glee was dedicated to him, with his character Finn being killed off. The episode focused on Finn's loved ones remembering "The Quarterback". It also featured a dedication card and Silent Credits at the end.
The season 3 finale "Have A Summer" was dedicated to Patton Oswalt's wife Michelle McNamara, who died unexpectedly during production.
"MTV Spring Break" was dedicated to the memory of the real-life Beverley Goldberg's sister Marlene Bell.
"Love Triangle" and "Couple Off" were both given an "In Memoriam" to George Segal, who died on March 25, 2021.
In season 2 of the lush, 1906-set Spanish drama Gran Hotel, the new maître d'hotel, Ernesto, had only appeared in five episodes when, even as his character was making headway wooing the stiff head of housekeeping Angela, the actor, Juan Luis Galiardo, died unexpectedly. Remaining footage allowed him to appear briefly in two more episodes. These and two more following episodes were dedicated in his memory. Unusually, the dedication was positioned in place of the series title, over the beauty shot of the hotel at the end of the opening credits.
The Grey's Anatomy fourteenth season finale "All of Me" was dedicated "in loving memory" of Shandra "Sha" Page Edwards (who worked in the hair department for the series) and Suzanne Patmore Gibbs (a TV development executive who helped launch the series at ABC Studios).
The final season of Gullah Gullah Island was dedicated to Philip D. Garcia, the original performer of Binyah Binyah, who was killed in a car crash in early 1997.
A 2011 episode of Have I Got News for You opened with a dedication to Big George, the composer of the theme song, who had died the week before.
Hell's Kitchen: On Season 11 episode 15 (7 Chefs Compete Part 2) at the end of the episode, a memorial card was shown, dedicating former pilot and aerial coordinator David Gibbs (1953-2013) as he died from a helicopter crash.
Highlander. The second-season two-parter 'Unholy Alliance' had a dedication in the credits to Werner Stocker, the actor who played Duncan's 'mentor figure' Darius. Werner Stocker had died just as the last few episodes of the previous season were filmed.
Holmes Makes It Right: One episode ended with a tribute to crew member Craig Lowe, who had died in a scuba diving accident shortly before the episode aired.
Played with at the end of every episode of the sketch comedy Human Giant, in which a faux memoriam to a random, allegedly dead member of the show's real crew and staff (featuring the real face and name of a crew member) is interrupted by advertisements for non-existent Human Giant products.
The Impractical Jokers episode "Snow Way Out" was dedicated to location manager Michael Raptis.
"Vampire Weakened" was dedicated to Joe's dog Mishkeen, who appeared (along with his 3 other dogs) in a challenge in that episode.
“No Good Deed” was dedicated to Colin Da Silla Vint, who was an executive at ‘’Joker’s’’ production company, NorthSouth.
In Living Color! did this twice; the second episode of the series was dedicated to comedian Robin Harris and actor Jesse Aragon. A season three episode was also dedicated to comedian Sam Kinison (who had guest-starred on two episodes that season before his untimely death) and the show's hairstylist Troy White.
When Trevor Goddard, the actor who played Mic Brumby, died in June 2003 the season 9 premiere episode "A Tangled Webb" part 2 ended with one of these showing a clip from "Life or Death" (5.13) of the JAG cast singing "Waltzing Matilda" as he left to return to Australia.
The series finale of Justified has a dedication to Elmore Leonard, author of the story the series is adapted from.
The Season Twelve episode "An American Hero" was dedicated to the memory of Steve Shaw. Clips of him from throughout his eleven years on the series were shown while his on-screen mother Michele Lee sang "Look at that Face".
The Season Twelve finale "Play, Pause, Search, Part Two" dedicated that entire season to the memory of the series' co-producer Lawrence Kasha.
The Season Fourteen premiere "Found and Lost" was dedicated to the memory of Larry Riley.
When the actor playing Compo on Last of the Summer Wine died, a full three episodes were devoted to the character's death, funeral, and memorial. He was replaced by Compo's previously unknown son, played by the actor's son.
The Late Show with David Letterman: After his longtime friend and frequent guest Robin Williams died in August 2014, David Letterman devoted an entire segment to talking about their friendship, with a montage of memorable moments in Robin's appearances.
''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit": On season 24 episode 15 "King of the Moon", the episode was dedicated to Richard Belzer who died on February 19, 2023.
Liv and Maddie: "Grandma-A-Rooney" featured guest star Patty Duke's final roles as Grandma Janice and Grand-Aunt Hillary before she passed away in March 2016. The Disney Channel would reair the episode in April, and a framed photo of Duke as Janice was seen very visibly on a table in Aunt Dena's living room during the season 3 finale "Californi-A-Rooney".
The Mandalorian Season 2 finale ends with a teaser for Spin-OffThe Book of Boba Fett, and aired one day after the death of Boba Fett's original actor, Jeremy Bulloch. A few weeks after the release, Lucasfilm added a dedication to Bulloch to the end credits.
When the dog playing Buck needed to retire, Married... with Children dedicated his last episode to him. Of course, being a Bundy, even sweet doggy death doesn't give him any relief; he's reincarnated as their new dog.
Also, the season nine premiere episode "Shoeway to Heaven" was dedicated to James Maura.
The Season 9 "Hall of Fame" episode was dedicated to Leslie Jordan, who had been a frequent panelist throughout the show. This was the last episode he appeared in before his death in a car accident.
The Season 9 Quarter Finals was dedicated to Jerry Springer, who participated in Season 8 as Beetle.
The second episode ofDaredevil was dedicated to Carlos Lopez IV, a stuntman on the show's first two episodes who perished in a parkour accident in Lisbon, Portugal.
The 19th andfinal episodes ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 were dedicated to Bill Paxton and Powers Boothe, respectively. Paxton, who died two months before his memorial episode from heart surgery complications, played Agent John Garrett in Season 1. Boothe, who died in the week before the season finale, portrayed World Security Councilman Gideon Malick in The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s third season. The second andfourth episodes of the show's last season were respectively dedicated to Barbara Gutman and Joseph Teague. Gutman was a longtime Hollywood production accountant whose work included the first six seasons of S.H.I.E.L.D. before she died about eight months before her episode from a "major health trauma". Teague began as a rigging grip in the early seasons before he was promoted to rigging best boy grip and passed away in a car crash about a month before his episode's broadcast.
The series finale ofLuke Cage featured an in memoriam to Reg E. Cathey, who had a posthumous recurring role in the final season as Luke's father James Lucas. The season was released four months after Cathey's passing.
The third episode of Moon Knight (2022) was dedicated to Gaspard Ulliel who passed away in January 2022, two months before the series premiered. The episode in question was the first to feature his character Anton Mogart.
What If…? (2021)'s second episode was dedicated to Chadwick Boseman.
At the end of the last episode of Menudo: Forever Young, there was a dedication to Ray Reyes León and Edgar Antonio Galindo Ibarranote better known as Anthony Galindo, or "El Papijoe", former members of Menudo who'd died before the miniseries premiered.
In 2012, "The Map", an episode of The Middle that began with the Hecks coming back from Aunt Ginny's funeral, ended with an "in memoriam" to Frances Bay, who had played the character until she died the previous September.
"Mommapalooza" was dedicated to Jerry Van Dyke (Grandpa Tag).
Episodes 1711 through 1715 of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ("Mister Rogers Talks about Sharing") are dedicated to longtime musical director Johnny Costa.
Family Communications Inc. dedicates this week of programs to John Costa who shared his friendship and musical genius with us for many years
Episode 1610 ("Josephine the Short-Necked Giraffe") features a dedication to John Reardon, who passed away in 1988.
The last episodes recorded by Bob Trow (who played himself, Robert Troll, Bob Dog, AND Harriet Elizabeth Cow) and "Chef" Don Brockett before their deaths were dedicated to their memories.
Modern Family: The day after the passing of Ed Asner, Freeform aired the episode "The Paper Route", which guest-starred him.
Mom: On the day Ed Asner died, Nick at Nite aired the episode "Kimchi and a Monkey Playing Harmonica" in remembrance of him. Peachtree TV did the same thing the next day.
Mouse (2021): Cheon Jeong-ha (Chi-guk's mother) died on 28 April 2021 while the series was still airing. A memorial to her was added to the end of episode sixteen.
Erik Gates, a rocketry expert and honorary MythBuster, died unexpectedly in late 2009. The episode that aired the next week had an "In Memory" graphic at the end of the credits.
The October 13, 2010 episode was dedicated to Sanjay Singh, one of their regular EMTs, who had died the previous week. (Sanjay appeared in that episode, which was filmed several months before.)
The 2022 edition of The National Memorial Day Concert on PBS featured a speech in memory of former US Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell who passed away the previous October and had been a staple of the concert since its first edition. The segment began with a speech by actor Dennis Haysbert about Powell's dedication to the concert followed by a song in tribute from Alfie Boe. Of course, technically the entire program is In Memoriam of American soldiers who died for the nation.
The December 19, 2011 episode of Next Great Baker was dedicated to contestant Wesley Durden. He had been eliminated in that episode and died in October 2011 after filming was completed.
The season 11 finale of NCIS was dedicated in memory to Ralph Waite, who played Gibbs' father. Waite died in February 2014 and as such, the producers decided ultimately to have Jackson Gibbs pass away in the show in the season finale "Honor Thy Father".
The first episode of the third season of Night Court in 1985 ended with a dedication to Selma Diamond, who had passed away the previous summer after playing bailiff Selma Hacker in the first two seasons; a still photo of her was shown under the following dialogue:
Bull: Quite a story, huh? Selma:[deadpan] I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me.
The original airing of the NOVA episode "To the Moon" (July 1999) was dedicated to Apollo 12 astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad, who appeared in the episode and who died in a motorcycle crash a few days before the episode was aired. The dedication does not appear on the DVD version.
On Pardon The Interruption, if someone important to the sports world has died before the airing of the episode, the "Happy Trails" segment at the end of the show will be replaced with a "Melancholy Happy Trails" segment where the hosts deliver a short eulogy for the deceased.
The series finale of Parks and Recreation is dedicated to writer, actor, and executive producer Harris Wittels, who tragically died on February 19, 2015, a few days before it aired, with a message at the end saying "We Love You, Harris. -The Parks Crew"
The Power Rangers Zeo episode "It Came From Angel Grove" was dedicated to Carol Michelle Mickelson, a dying fan who got her wish to visit the Rangers on set granted one year prior.
The Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue episode "The Fifth Crystal" was dedicated to Robert L. Manahan, the second voice actor of Zordon, who passed away about two months before broadcast.
Psych: The episode "100 Clues", while already an homage to the movie it was based on, Clue, it also had a dedication to the actress, Madeline Khan, who played Mrs. White in the original movie.
Parodied on Real Time with Bill Maher with "A Farewell to Douchebags", a montage made after election cycles of unpopular politicians and political figures who fell from grace during that cycle.
Played straight with Richard Jeni, Christopher Hitchens, and Garry Shandling's deaths, as Bill featured montages of their previous appearances on this show and his previous show Politically Incorrect.
The Red Dwarf Series X episode "The Beginning" featured a picture/moment of silence dedication to production designer Peter Wragg, whose work included the design of the exterior model of the Red Dwarf ship.
The Riverdale episode "Chapter 49: Fire Walk With Me" was dedicated to Luke Perry, who died two days before the episode's airingnote Many of the series' episodes will also be dedicated to Luke.
The first episode of Robot Wars Extreme (aired in October 2001) was dedicated to David Gribble — the teenage driver for the robot Pussycat — who was tragically killed in a motorbike accident shortly after filming his last appearances in Series 5 and Extreme 1.
Same with Angel, an episode of the Roseanne reboot "Eggs Over, Not Easy" was also dedicated to Glenn Quinn, who played Mark Healy.
Saturday Night Live often pays tribute to deceased cast members, guest hosts, and musical guests. In general, when a celebrity who either hosted the show or was the musical guest passes on, that episode will most likely be rerun along with any new episode that week, or a photograph of said person will be shown after a sketch. Sometimes, they'll have a photo and a moment of silence (as they did with Charles Rocketnote though the fact that he was recognized at all, given that he was part of a season that most people despised, counted for something and Don Pardo), but other times, they'll take time off from the laughs to say goodbye and do a memorial piece:
When John Belushi died in 1982, a rerun of a season seven episode had a monologue from Brian Doyle-Murray, who told the story of how Belushi cared for him when he was just starting out in comedy and saved him from getting hit by a truck (with Belushi taking the hit and not getting injured).
Gilda Radner had died the same day of the 1988-89 season finale, so instead of his planned monologue, host Steve Martin (visibly grieving) replayed a 1978 sketch featuring himself and Radner.
When George Carlin died in June 2008, rather than rerun a 2008 episode hosted by Elliot Page, the very first episode, which was hosted by Carlin, was aired instead.
Jan Hooks also received a tribute on October 11, 2014 (the episode hosted by Bill Hader and the 39th anniversary of the show's first episode) with a reprise of a skit she performed with the also deceased Phil Hartman ("Love is a Dream," a Tom Schiller-written short film about an elderly woman who visits a bank vault to wear her old jewelry and is transported into a musical where she dances with a prince who turns out to be the bank's elderly security guard).
The same short was shown in the 25th anniversary special in 2000, as a tribute after the tragic death of Phil Hartman. Jon Lovitz and Jan Hooks presented the skit (visibly grieved), together with the main cast of Hartman's era (Nora Dunn, Victoria Jackson, Kevin Nealon, Dennis Miller and Mike Myers; Dana Carvey wasn't present).
The 40th anniversary special featured a lengthy tribute, presented by Bill Murray with Leon Pendarvis at the piano, to all the deceased SNL cast and crew members in the show's history (from cast members like Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Phil Hartman, and Jan Hooks, to behind-the-scenes people like Tom Davis, Michael O'Donoghuenote even though Davis and O'Donoghue are considered members of the original cast, just not ones most people would readily remember, Dave Wilson, Bernie Brillstein, and Don Pardo). But to keep things from being too depressing, the final tribute was to cast member Jon Lovitz. The cameras then cut to a very alive and confused Lovitz sitting in the audience. A similar gag occurred during Steve Martin's opening monologue. At the end of the segment, Bill Murray gives the audience one last death notice that came later to include it properly in the tribute.
When David Bowie died during Season 41, Fred Armisen returned to the show for a special tribute segment to the singer, in which Armisen recalled watching Bowie's musical performance in Season 5 in high school. A clip of Bowie singing "The Man Who Sold the World" during that appearance was shown immediately afterwards.
Prince died later in Season 41, and instead of a segment during the show like Bowie got, SNL produced an entire hour-long memorial special featuring his various appearances over the years (and some clips from the recurring sketch, "The Prince Show", which had Fred Armisen as Prince).
At the end of Adam Sandler's hosting gig in Season 44, he performed his song "Farley" from his 100% Fresh special in tribute to Chris Farley.
In season 45, in the At Home episode, the final segment is a giant eulogy for music director Hal Willner, with appearances from Mulaney, Sandler, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Shannon, Rudolph, Armisen, and Hader, among other alums.
At the end of the March 1, 2003 show, Horatio Sanz came out in a sweater, sang "You're Special", and said "Thank you, Mr. Rogers", as a trolley passed him by.
When Rodney Dangerfield (who hosted a March 1980 episode) died in October 2004, that week's episode featured Darrell Hammond, who had impersonated Dangerfield in several previous sketches, performing a final standup routine at the Pearly Gates for St. Peter (Horatio Sanz), who solemnly remarked that he wanted to hear Dangerfield's jokes one last time before admitting him to Heaven. The screen cut to a still shot of Dangerfield with the caption "We'll miss you. Rodney Dangerfield 1921-2004".
After the December 14, 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary massacre, the cold open for the December 15 episode featured the New York City Children's Choir singing "Silent Night" with candles in the background.
After Leonard Cohen’s passing in the same week as the 2016 presidential election, Kate McKinnon appeared in character as Hilary Clinton in the opener to play "Hallelujah" on the piano.
A double is pulled in the October 7, 2017 opener: Jason Aldean, who had performed at what would become the Las Vegas massacre, appeared on stage to say a few words, before launching into a cover of "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty, who'd died the day after the massacre.
The 46th season premiere "Weekend Update" segment ended with a tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with cast member Kate McKinnon dressed as her and a card with her signature lace collar and glasses with the words "Rest In Power" superimposed.
On November 14, 2020, the Saturday after Alex Trebek died, they reaired the first "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch (which also featured Sean Connery, who, coincidentally, died shortly before Trebek), along with a clip from the last "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch during Will Ferrell's last episode as a cast member featuring the real Alex Trebek, ending with a tribute calling Alex the greatest game show host of all time, in the form of a Jeopardy answer-and-question.
The October 28, 2023 episode ended with a black-and-white title card dedicated to Matthew Perry, who died earlier that day.
The Scrubs episode "My Cake", which deals with the death of J.D.'s father, is dedicated to the late John Ritter, who played J.D.'s father on the show.
The SecondsFromDisaster episode "Explosion on the North Sea," features a brief one for Bob Ballantine, one of the survivors interviewed in that episode.
The Seinfeld episode "The Burning" is dedicated to Lloyd Bridges, who played elderly fitness nut Izzy Mandelbaum in two prior episodes.
One episode was dedicated to the son of a producer, and he is called a true "Superboy".
Another episode was dedicated to Christopher Reeve, who "made us believe a man could fly."
The Son of the Beach Season 2 episode "Grand Prix" had one for comedian David Graf, who played the Frenchman racer in the episode.
In the Stargate-verse, the character of General George Hammond, a regular during the first seven seasons of Stargate SG-1, died off-screen of a heart attack, referencing the fact that the actor who played him, Don S. Davis, died of a heart attack shortly before production of the Stargate Atlantis series finale. As a result, in-universe Earth's newest battleship was named the George Hammond, mentioned at the end of Atlantis and first seen in the first episode of Stargate Universe. Out-of-universe, the Atlantis finale was dedicated to Don S. Davis, as was the 2009 re-cut of the SG-1 pilot.
Every episode of The Steve Harvey Show is dedicated to both Harvey's mother, Eloise, and veteran actress Madge Sinclair, who portrayed his mother-in-law on his previous sitcom, Me and the Boys.
Street Outlaws: the episode of "10K Grudge Race" is dedicated to Ryan Fellows. Ryan Fellows died during the filming of Street Outlaws: Fastest in America in August 2022. Filming was postponed after he lost his life immediately after a race, which was one of nine happening at a racing event. The cast member died on the morning of Sunday, August 7, 2022, just outside Las Vegas. The 41-year-old was reportedly driving a gold Nissan 240z and lost control near the finish line before the vehicle rolled and caught fire. Onlookers were unable to get him out of the car in time. During the May 1, 2023 episode of Street Outlaws: Fastest in America, the show paid tribute to Ryan who sadly died in a fatal car crash while filming the show. It comes months after his death was announced in 2022. A spokesperson for Discovery said: "The Street Outlaws family is heartbroken by the accident that led to the tragic death of Ryan Fellows. We extend our deepest sympathy to Ryan’s loved ones as they process this sudden and devastating loss."
Suddenly Susan did one after the death of David Strickland.
The Sugar Rush: Extra Sweet episode “Birds of a Feather” opened with a dedication to guest judge Naya Rivera.
Supernatural dedicated their fourth season to Kim Manners, a director who died during the filming of that season. The title card appeared after the episode "Death Takes a Holiday," which was actually the fifteenth episode, but the first to air after his death.
Also in the fourth season, the episode "Afterschool Special" was dedicated to Christopher F. Lima and Tim Loock, a rigging electrician and post-production editor, respectively. With Manners's after-the-fact full season dedication, this episode was dedicated to three separate, unrelated people whose deaths had nothing to do with each other.
"Book of the Damned" (season 10, ep 18) was dedicated to Jaap Broeker, who died on January 19, 2015, and was a stand-in for Jensen Ackles.
Linda Porter, who played elderly employee Myrtle Vartanian on Superstore, passed away at age 86 on September 26, 2019- the day of the fifth season premiere. The next week's episode, "Testimonials", was dedicated to Porter, and later in the season, an episode simply titled "Myrtle" dealt with the character’s death as well.
Survivor Rudy's wife of 53 years, Marge, died on November 1, 2008, after a long illness. CBS dedicated the Gabon episode, "The Brains Behind Everything", in her memory.
Rudy Boesch passed away at the age of 91 in a retirement community on November 1, 2019, from complications associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. He departed exactly 11 years after his wife Marge's passing. The Island of the Idols episode, "I Was Born at Night, but Not Last Night" was dedicated to Rudy a week after his passing.
"I Can't Wait to See Jeff", the episode is dedicated to Survivor producer Keith Sayres, who passed away on February 1, 2023.
"Swamp People": The "Voodoo Bayou" episode, originally aired on May 17, 2012, was dedicated in Guist's memory.
The final episode of The Terror ends with a title on black reading simply "FOR MARCUS", a reference to series composer Marcus Fjellstrom, who died while the show was still in production.
Titus had one after the death of the real-life Ken Titus.
The 2011 Christmas edition of Top of the Pops ended with a tribute to Jimmy Savile, who had died a few weeks earlier and was, at the time, still remembered as a much-loved entertainer. A year later, however, Savile had been exposed as a prolific sex offender, making the tribute appear in bad taste.
The finale of Ultraman Z pays tribute to the show's main screenwriter Kota Fukihara, who passed away on May 17, 2020, at the age of 37 due to a brain hemorrhage a month before the series started its run.
Walker, Texas Ranger: Season 7's "Brothers in Arms" was a dedication to Creative Consultant Nick Corea, who passed away of pancreatic cancer shortly after filming of the episode had finished.
The show Disneyland Around the Seasons, which aired three days following the death of Walt Disney, initially opened with a tribute to Walt by Dick Van Dyke (who starred in Disney's Mary Poppins) and Chet Huntley (co-host of NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report).
The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Grand Opening ended with Michael Eisner paying tribute to Lucille Ball, who died three days before the broadcast.
Twice has an actor from The Wire died and had their character (a Baltimore Police officer) killed off in the show off-camera. The episode then depicts a Detective's wake; the departed is laid out on the Pool table at the local cop bar, with a beer in one hand and a cigar in the other, while his fellow policemen recount his finest moments and play "Body of an American."
The "Animal Encounters" episode of World's Dumbest... ends with a joking tribute to the production assistant's dignity, while clips of him in various animal costumes play.
The X-Files took their "In Memoriam" one step further. In February 2001, Leyla Harrison, a prominent X-Files fanfiction author, passed away from cancer. In her honor, Agent Leyla Harrison made her appearance in season eight's "Alone". The fictional Agent Harrison was quite a fan of Mulder and Scully's, spending much of her time at the FBI poring over their expense reports and during the entire episode, referencing previous cases the two had been on (while partnered with Agent Doggett) as possibilities for the creature they're hunting. In the end, she meets Mulder and Scully and is gifted with the keychain Mulder had given Scully for her birthday during season four. She also makes an appearance in season nine's "Scary Monsters".
In a more traditional style, the 2008 movie I Want to Believe is dedicated to Randy Stone: the casting agent who cast the show's pilot episode. He died in 2007.
In Memory of Kim Manners (January 13, 1953-January 25, 2009): "Let's Kick It In The Ass"
For Jack Hardy (July 16, 1953-March 24, 2015): "Nothing says 'thank you' like cash."
Sporting Events:
The opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics were dedicated to Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died in a practice run on the luge track hours before the start of the Olympics.
NBC Sports dedicated their broadcast of the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics to Jack O'Hara, "A colleague in sports broadcasting." O'Hara was the executive producer of ABC's Wide World of Sports, and died in the crash of TWA flight 800.
In 2016, after the LaMia Flight 2933 air disaster that claimed the lives of much of the Chapecoense soccer team and several sports journalists, FOX Sports Brazil aired a black screen with a scoreboard and the hashtag "#90MinutosDeSilencio" in place of what would've been the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana Final between Chapecoense and Atletico Nacional of Colombia. The broadcast included a tribute to the Fox Sports employees killed in the crash during halftime. The broadcast was bookended by the official World Feed opening to Copa Sudamericana television transmissions, which also ran in silence on both showings. The tribute was introduced by FOX Sports Brazil host João Guilherme, the only person to appear live on-camera during the show, as the "halftime" tribute was a pretaped montage.
When BattleBots competitor and judge Grant Imahara, best known for Mythbusters, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm in 2020, the "Best Design" Giant Bolt award was renamed the "Grant Imahara Award for Best Design" in his honor.
The 20th Puppy Bowl special was dedicated to Team Ruff player Sweetpea, who passed away from health issues shortly after it was filmed.
Game shows:
The ABC revival of The Chase was dedicated to Alex Trebek in its opening moments, as the show’s three Chasers all made their mark on Trebek's Jeopardy! (the best of them, Ken Jennings, even became its first post-Trebek guest host.)
Family Challenge: The first Michael Burger episode paid tribute to the series' first host Ray Combs, who committed suicide in 1996.
The 1991 Grand Ole Opry Week was dedicated to the memory of Dottie West, who died in a car crash before she was scheduled to appear that week.
A 2012 episode saw Steve Harvey giving out a moment of silence for original host Richard Dawson, who had died on June 2 (the same date that the above-mentioned Combs, who was also a former Feud host, died of suicide).
Funny You Should Ask: Regular panelist Louie Anderson passed away on January 21, 2022. A small dedication to him was added to the credits of the rerun that aired the next week on January 28.
Guy's Grocery Games ran two tributes to popular contestant and judge Carl Ruiz after his sudden death.
The September 25, 2019 episode, airing four days after Carl's death (and one of the last episodes he judged), had a tribute at the end of the episode.
The "April Fools' Day" episode (airdate March 25, 2020) was a full-episode tribute to Carl. All the contestants and judges were friends of his from the usual collection of Flavortown judges, other friends and relatives appeared on the show, and all the challenges were ones Carl hated.
NBC daytime version: Peter Marshall paid tribute to semi-regular panelist Wally Cox, best known as the voice of Underdog, upon his 1973 death; and again in 1974 when Cliff Arquette, who played his Charley Weaver character on the show, passed away after a stroke.
Tom Bergeron version: Twice, with tributes to sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner (by Whoopi Goldberg, then producer and center square) during her week of shows early in the run; and John Ritter (in 2003, by then-producer Henry Winkler).
Jeopardy!: Host Alex Trebek died of pancreatic cancer in November 2020. Executive producer Mike Richards paid tribute to him on the first episode aired after his death, and every posthumous episode featured a tribute to him after the credits. The very last Trebek show, aired in January 2021, ended with a montage of him through the years, set to Hugh Jackman's rendition of "Once Before I Go" from The Boy From Oz. In September 2021, Stage 10 at Sony Pictures Studio, the show's longtime home, was renamed the Alex Trebek Stage in his honor.
Let's Make a Deal: Wayne Brady paid tribute to co-creator and original host Monty Hall on the October 6, 2017, episode, which featured clips of Monty's sporadic appearances on the Brady-hosted revival and ended with a montage of pictures and clips from classic Deal.
Although Alex Trebek never hosted or appeared on LMAD, the November 23, 2020 episode began and ended with tributes to him.
Original host Bob Barker announced the deaths of announcers Johnny Olson (in October 1985, shortly after his death but before his last-aired episode) and Rod Roddy in October 2003. Both times, Barker remarked how much each announcer added to the show and that they would be missed.
When the Australian version returned in 2012, Larry Emdur dedicated the first episode to former host Ian Turpie, who passed away just a few weeks before that series began production.
After Bob Barker himself passed away on August 2023, a tribute message for him was displayed before the following Monday's rerun: "In memory of Bob Barker, 1923-2023. Bob was a television icon, an animal activist, and most importantly, our friend. Thank you, Bob, for making countless dreams come true and for bringing so much joy into our homes.". On August 31, 2023, his successor Drew Carey hosted a primetime special on CBS, The Price is Right: A Tribute to Bob Barker, which looked back on Barker's life and TV career.
Pat Sajak made emotional tributes to Jack Clark (in September 1988 with the syndicated version, and in early August 1988 on the daytime show) and Charlie O'Donnell (in November 2010) after their deaths; both were long-time announcers closely tied to the show. Vanna White joined Sajak on the latter.
After director Mark Corwin died during the summer hiatus, a tribute was edited into a summer rerun.
Logo Joke of the Stephen J. Cannell Productions Vanity Plate featuring the following message: "Stephen J. Cannell. Colleague, mentor, friend. We'll miss you, pal." (Also, the falling paper drifts off the screen instead of forming into the logo as usual.) Additionally, within the show itself, Cannell's poker chair has become an Empty Chair Memorial.
