The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards held a beautiful tribute to all the actors and industry professionals who have lost their lives in the recent year, with a special song cover going out to Matthew Perry‘s passing specifically.
The War and Treaty duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter sang “When I See You Again” alongside Charlie Puth who played piano to the sombre crowd.
As they sang, the Emmys projected the faces and names of various actors, producers, and other industry staff who had sadly passed away. However, when Andre Braugher‘s face appeared, the trio switched — to a mournful cover of Friends theme song “I’ll Be There For You”.
The crowd erupted into applause at the tribute to Perry, who starred in Friends and died of a ketamine overdose in 2023. His face appeared on the slide show as the performers hit their rising crescendo, marking an emotional end to the tributes.
The unexpected song switch left fans of Perry emotional.
I, myself, am still recovering from seeing Braugher’s smiling face on there. The Brooklyn 99 star passed away from lung cancer in December. Another great, gone too soon.
Matthew Perry left behind a complicated legacy — on the one hand, he has been remembered for his iconic role in Friends and his advocacy for those struggling with alcohol and drug addiction issues. On the other hand, he was accused of allegedly assaulting women and lying about sobriety shortly before his death.
Between the tributes, Christina Applegate‘s appearance and so-deserved standing ovation and RuPaul‘s rousing speech about the wisdom and importance of drag queens, this Emmys awards night has been a real tear-jerker.
If you need me, I’ll be furiously dabbing my eyes and for the 200th time today.
You can watch the Emmys on Binge or read our coverage here.
Image: NCB, Angela Weiss/Getty Images
