The Touching Tribute Morgan Freeman Delivered At The 2025 Oscars

Morgan Freeman made a tear-jerking speech honoring fellow actor Gene Hackman at the 2025 Oscars. Reports of Hackman's death hit just days earlier and shocked his fellow Hollywood stars and the rest of the world. "This week our community lost a giant, and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman," Freeman began his commemorative speech.

The pair crossed paths twice in their careers, first appearing together in the 1992 Western classic, "Unforgiven," for which Hackman won his second Oscar award for best supporting actor. They reunited years later on the 2000 thriller "Under Suspicion," one of the late star's last films before he retired from Hollywood in 2004. "Like everyone who has ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone's work," Freeman said, noting the actor's two Oscars and saying that "he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world."

Freeman ended his tribute by giving a heartfelt goodbye to his friend. "Gene always said, 'I don't think about legacy, I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work.' So, I think I speak for us all when I say, 'Gene, you'll be remembered for that, and for so much more.'"

The tribute comes after Gene Hackman was found dead in his Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26, 2025. He was 95. His wife, Betsy Arakawa, and his dog were also found dead during a welfare check on the family. As of this writing, the cause and manner of their deaths are still unknown. But the emotional 911 call from a caretaker in the area who discovered the scene from outside the home tells the grim details of the case. The audio from the call, obtained by TMZ, recounts how the unnamed caretaker frantically pleaded with dispatch to send help as they explained that the people inside the home were not moving.

In a February 28 press conference, County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said data from "The French Connection" actor's pacemaker revealed that the last activity recorded was on February 17, meaning he and his wife were likely dead for nine days before being discovered. While there were no signs of foul play, their deaths caused enough suspicion to warrant an investigation. Police have also ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause. According to Mendoza, results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are still pending.

The tragic story of Gene Hackman's death casts no shadow over the indelible mark he made on classic cinema. Indeed, Morgan Freeman isn't the only A-lister who is remembering the actor's legacy. Francis Ford Coppola, with whom Hackman worked on the 1974 film "The Conversation," paid tribute to the actor on Instagram. "The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity," the director wrote.

Gwyneth Paltrow, who played Hackman's daughter in the quirky 2001 Wes Anderson film "The Royal Tenenbaums," simply put a broken heart emoji in the caption of her Instagram post. It's accompanied by a photo from the set of the film, capturing Paltrow, Hackman, and Luke Wilson in their costumes. Tom Hanks also paid homage to his fellow two-time Oscar winner, writing on Instagram: "There has never been a 'Gene Hackman Type.' There has only been Gene Hackman."

In another poignant tribute to the late actor, Clint Eastwood, who starred opposite Hackman in "Unforgiven," honored his friend on X (formerly Twitter), writing: "Extremely saddened by the passing of Gene Hackman, He will be deeply missed." Eastwood also remembered the actor in a statement obtained by People. "There was no finer actor than Gene," he said. "Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much."