Shelley Duvall Omitted from 2024 Emmys In Memoriam Segment

The “In Memoriam” segment at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday paid tribute to a number of small-screen stars who have died over the past year, but social media users were quick to point out famous names that were not included in the montage.

The moving segment shows rapper Jelly Roll uttering a few words before performing his 2024 song “I Am Not Okay,” while a montage of deceased celebrities is shown on the Peacock Theater and on television. Those included in the segment included Donald Sutherland, James Earl Jones, Martin Mull, Richard Lewis, Richard Simmons, Shannen Doherty, Gena Rowlands, Chance Perdomo and Carl Weathers.

There was general confusion in some internet circles about the omission. Friends star Matthew Perry, who died on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54. Perry’s absence was explained by the Television Academy paying a special tribute to the actor at the 74th Emmy Awards, which took place in January after being delayed due to two strikes in Hollywood.

However, social media users felt that the omission of people like Shelley Duvall, Erica Ash, Johnny Wactor, Tyler Christopher, Joe Flaherty and Chita Rivera shed a bad light on the TV Academy.

Although better known for her film work, Duvall, who died in July at age 75, was nominated for two Emmy Awards. The actress had close ties to children’s television. She was a creator, writer and executive producer Bedtime Stories by Shelley Duvall and creator and executive producer Tales and legends. Duvall was nominated for both shows.

Ash, a comedian and actress who died in July at the age of 46, was the subject of the series MAD TV AND The Great Gay Sketch Showand later starred in the Starz sitcom A Survivor’s Remorse.

Wactor was known for his role as Brando Corbin in the series General Hospital and Johnny in the NBC series SiberiaIn May, the actor was murdered during a robbery in Los Angeles. He was 37.

Other General Hospital star Tyler Christopher was also left out. Christopher played the characters of Nikolas Cassadine and Connor Bishop on the ABC soap opera. He died in October 2023 at the age of 50, and his death was caused by alcohol poisoning.

SCTV Joe Flaherty was also a glaring omission, especially since the late comedian was a colleague of Emmy host Eugene Levy. Flaherty, who died in April at age 82, also had a key role as Harold Weir on the iconic NBC sitcom Freaks and maniacs.

Rivera’s television career spanned seven decades. Although the actress, who died in January at age 91, found her greatest success in theater, she continued to appear in a number of high-profile shows, including Carol Burnett Show, Dick Van Dyke’s New Show, Dora explores the world AND Will and Grace.

Many of the names omitted from the televised In Memoriam segment, including Ash, Duvall, Wactor and Rivera, were included in a more extensive In Memoriam section on the Emmys website.