Andrea and Mateo Bocelli Lead 2024 Oscars ‘In Memoriam’ With ‘Time to Say Goodbye’

The Academy Awards paid tribute to Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, Harry Belafonte, and directors William Friedkin and Norman Jewison during the In Memoriam portion of the 2024 Oscars.

Andrea Bocelli and his son Mateo Bocelli led the tribute with a moving delivery of “Time to Say Goodbye.” During the segment, dozens of dancers took the stage for a performance art piece, embracing and twirling around each other.

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The past year since the 2023 Academy Awards also saw the deaths of Matthew Perry, John Bailey, Robbie Robertson, Richard Lewis, Lee Sun-Kyun, Carl Weathers, Glenda Jackson, and Tina Turner, all of whom were also remembered during this year’s ceremony. Many names were included in a flash at the end of the performance.

However, this year’s In Memoriam did not mention several notable stars as they were not included during the roughly four-minute segment that flashed quickly between the tribute images and the dance performance; like last year, the Academy Awards instead shared a link with a more complete list of Hollywood talent that died over the past year.

At the 2023 Oscars, Lenny Kravitz soundtracked the segment with a rendition of “Calling All Angels,” while John Travolta led a special tribute to his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John.

“Time to Say Goodbye” was originally released in 1995 under the title “Con te Partirò,” then re-released with Sarah Brightman in 1996. The latest version, bringing together both Borcelli musicians, makes it debut at the Oscars. “I think that ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ is a timeless song,” Bocelli told USA Today in 2021. “It’s an authentic and inspirational song which doesn’t follow any musical trend, and that’s why people love the song and keep it in their hearts.”

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