The sad reality is that while a truly moving creative work has the potential to live forever, those who make them do not. This necessitates the existence of the “In Memoriam” portion of the Academy Awards, and last night’s Oscars was made extra special with an acoustic performance of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

Grohl was introduced by Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr., who said, “Now, with a special performance by Dave Grohl, let’s remember some cherished friends whose lasting work continues to inspire and entertain the world.” Grohl then launched into a delicate, stirring, and string-laden performance of the “Blackbird” as the names and photos of industry figures who passed away over the last year flashed on the screen behind him.

Those honored included Christopher Lee (known towards the end of his career as Saruman in The Lord Of The Rings movies), Alan Rickman (Snape from Harry Potter, Hans Gruber from Die Hard) David Bowie (mainly a legendary musician, but he made some iconic contributions to cinema as well), and various others whose work took place behind cameras and kept the gears of Hollywood spinning.

Although the Foo Fighters have never received Oscar consideration, the band has still made their mark in film: Their 2014 HBO series Sonic Highways won two Emmy Awards and was also nominated for Best Music Film at the most recent Grammys.

Watch Grohl’s performance above, and in case you missed it, check out all of the awards winners, along with our commentary on the evening’s proceedings, over here.

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IMAGE: The Academy Awards