In Memoriam: Fallen Stars of 2020
While there were many beloved familiar faces featured during the 2020 Emmy’s In Memoriam segment, some were noticeably missing.
During the virtual ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 20, H.E.R. gave a moving performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” as the names and pictures of actors, producers, executives, writers and directors who had died in 2020 were shown on-screen in tribute. Among the late stars mentioned were Regis Philbin, Naya Rivera, James Lipton, Jerry Stiller, Kirk Douglas and Chadwick Boseman. Jimmy Kimmel paid tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday, Sept. 18, as he introduced the segment.
However, as the internet was quick to notice, Nick Cordero, Kelly Preston and Kobe Bryant were not mentioned. Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter crash in January, had won a Sports Emmy Award in 2018 and was posthumously honored with the Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award in July. Preston, who held various TV roles throughout her career, died from breast cancer in July. Broadway star Nick Cordero, who also had a mix of smaller TV roles on his résumé over the years, died in July, nearly four months after he was admitted to the hospital with coronavirus.
E! News has reached out to the Television Academy for comment.
Meanwhile, fans online were less than pleased. “Hey @TheEmmys on @ABCNetwork. Why wasn’t @iamNickCordero included in your #InMemoriam?” one Twitter user pointed out. “He was on TV shows like @BlueBloods_CBS and @nbcsvu. Plus he died from #COVID19. Disappointed at the #Emmys #NickCordero.”
“Umm @TheEmmys how do you manage to leave out Kobe Bryant from the In Memoriam while filming at Staples Center?” another critic asked.
As for Preston, “Kelly Preston was better known for film, but she made appearances on television shows and deserved to be included in the In Memoriam,” a third tweet stated.
ABC
The Emmys’ In Memoriam online database, which is said to include information for “the men and women who were included in the televised In Memoriam segment, as well as many others who were not,” does feature Preston and Cordero, but does not include Bryant.
Watch Daily Pop weekdays at 12:30 p.m. on E!
