Oscars 2025: Morgan Freeman pays emotional tribute to "friend" Gene Hackman days after passing

3 March 2025, 03:02 | Updated: 3 March 2025, 03:04

In one of the more poignant moments of this year's Academy Awards, one Hollywood icon paid tribute to another with a moving speech.

Appearing on stage at the beginning of the annual 'In Memoriam' segment of the Oscars, Morgan Freeman, 87, praised his "friend" and colleague Gene Hackman.

Hackman died only a few days before the ceremony at the age of 95. His death at the time of the event remains a mystery, with the Hollywood star found dead alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa and one of their dogs.

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Freeman - who appeared opposite in a couple of movies including Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven - said: “This week, our community lost a giant. And I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman.

“I had the pleasure of working alongside Gene on two films, Unforgiven and Under Suspicion. Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work.

"Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work,'” Freeman continued.

"I think I speak for us all when I say, ‘Gene, you will be remembered for that, and so much more.’ Rest in peace, my friend.”

Hackman won two Oscars: 1972 for The French Connection and in 1993 for Unforgiven.

Others remembered in the Oscars In Memoriam segment included Maggie Smith and Donald Sutherland, though there were some omissions including Michelle Trachtenberg and Bernard Hill.

Conan O’Brien hosted the 97th annual Academy Awards, aired live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, which opened with a performance by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.