Shannen Doherty, Richard Simmons, Phil Donahue and More Honored by Emmys 2024 In Memoriam Tribute

While the 2024 Emmy Awards celebrated the accomplishments of beloved TV shows and talent, the event also paused to pay tribute to the friends, colleagues and icons the community lost this year.

Shannen Doherty, Phil Donahue and Richard Simmons were among the stars honored during the 76th annual ceremony’s “In Memoriam” tribute, which pays homage to luminaries who have left an impact on the industry and who died over the past year.

Other stars celebrated included Richard Lewis, Bob Newhart, Louis Gossett Jr., Gena Rowlands, Martin Mull, Piper Laurie, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Chance Perdomo, Carl Weathers, Dabney Coleman, Richard Moll, Susan Wojcicki, Donald Sutherland and James Earl Jones.

Before performing his song “I Am Not Okay” for the tribute, Jelly Roll told the audience, “I believe that music is therapeutic. I believe that music can heal. I also believe that storytelling is just as cathartic.”

“I hope that this song can act as a healing moment for those mourning the storytellers we have lost this year,” he continued. “If you are feeling lost or alone tonight, I want you to know that it’s okay to not always be okay

 

Doherty died on July 13 at age 53, nearly a decade after she was diagnosed with cancer.

The actress landed her first major role as Jenny Wilder on Little House on the Prairie at age 11 before starring in the 1989 dark comedy Heathers. Her breakout role as Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 catapulted her to a stratospheric level of fame. Another iconic role — as Prue Halliwell on the WB supernatural drama Charmed — followed.

In the decades after, Doherty worked steadily, popping up in TV movies, appearing with several of the original 90210 cast members on the short-lived revival BH90210 and launching the Let’s Be Clear podcast. The actress also became a fierce cancer advocate, seeking to prove that people with cancer could still live full lives and make meaningful contributions.

“We’re vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life,” Doherty told PEOPLE in 2023. “We are people who want to work, embrace life and keep moving forward.”

Renowned as the “King of Daytime Talk,” Donahue, who died on Aug. 18 at age 88 following a long illness, changed the face of daytime TV with The Phil Donahue Show. The program, which ran for 29 years, gained acclaim for its celebrity interviews and for tackling challenging topics, from racism to child abuse in the Catholic Church.

After wrapping his eponymous talk show in 1996, Donahue wrote and directed Body of War, a 2007 documentary about an Iraq War veteran, and cowrote the 2020 book What Makes a Marriage Last with wife Marlo Thomas.

In May, Donahue told PEOPLE the “one thing” that served as the “foundation of the 7,000 episodes” he taped was “curiosity.”

“I still believe that, despite our differences, we’re all part of this sprawling global family, and we just need to get to know each other so that we can share the world together,” he added.

Simmons, who died on July 13 at age 76 from accidental blunt traumatic injuries, became a pop-culture fitness icon, releasing more than 50 workout videos — including his memorable franchise Sweatin’ to the Oldies — authoring five bestselling books, hosting weight-loss cruises and teaching classes at his Slimmons studios in Beverly Hills, California.

In his final interview with PEOPLE in July, the elusive and humble star reflected on his legacy.

“I never thought of myself as a celebrity,” Simmons said. “People don’t know this: I’m a really shy person and a little bit of an introvert. When that curtain goes up, that’s a different story. I’m there to make people happy. But the accolades I get from emails … we’ll answer over 100 emails.”

“And they’ll say, ‘I’m your No. 1 fan.’ And I write back, ‘Don’t say that, because I’m a human being just like you. And I know that you do good things, too,’ ” he added.

Lewis, who died on Feb. 27 after a heart attack, was best known for his trademark self-deprecating humor, which he showed in countless standup performances and TV and film roles.

He held a long-standing role on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, appearing in more than 40 episodes between 2000 and 2021. He was also known for being a regular guest on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show.

Lewis’s acting career also saw him in TV shows with a starring role opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in the sitcom Anything but Love from 1989 to 1992, in later small-screen appearances on 7th Heaven, Rude Awakening, Bojack Horseman and Blunt Talk, and in films including 1993’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights and 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas.

Lewis, who penned a 2000 memoir titled The Other Great Depression, told The Washington Post in 2020, “No, I’m not a very happy man. I’m thrilled to be alive. I’m grateful for who’s in my life. I’ve got great friends, a great wife, a dog, and I have a great career.”