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Larry King, Michael K. Williams and Alex Trebek are just a few other major figures in television that were lost this year. In tribute to those that were lost, Leon Bridges and Jon Batiste put together a piano-laden musical tribute that brought tears to nearly every eye in the room. Backed by Leon Bridges's "River," the Academy of Television and Sciences put together a string of photos that honored the likes of Cicely Tyson, Dawn Wells and Christopher Plummer. Ultimately, things came to a standstill when Williams's face appeared on the screen. Nominated for one award tonight, his presence was not only felt on screen, but in the heart of every attendee.
"Been travelling these wide roads/For so long/My heart's been far from you/Ten thousand miles gone," Bridges sang.
"Take me to your river/I wanna go/Oh, go, take me to your river/I wanna know."
Batiste and Bridges did all they could to honor television stars that were lost in the past year. In return, viewers across the map showered them with praise.
"Leon Bridges singing River over the celebrity death montage is…bodying me," one viewer tweeted.
"I’m good with anything Leon Bridges and Jon Batiste want to arrange or perform. Those dudes are music geniuses," another viewer tweeted.
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