James Earl Jones, Bob Newhart, Shannen Doherty and others honored in Emmys touching “In Memoriam” tribute

James Earl Jones, Martin Mull, Ryan O'Neal and Phil Donahue were among the television personalities honored during the “In Memoriam” portion of the 76th Emmy Awards on Sunday.

Singer and rapper Jelly Roll performed his song “I Am Not Okay” with a small live orchestra, while images of the numerous actors, producers, writers and other people working in the television industry appeared on a screen behind him.

“I believe that music is therapeutic. I believe that music can heal,” the entertainer, wearing an all-black ensemble, said before the segment. “I also believe that storytelling is just as cathartic. I hope that this song can serve as a healing moment for those who are mourning the storytellers we've lost this year.”

“If you're feeling lost or alone tonight, I want you to know that it's okay to not always be okay,” he said.

Others who received tributes included Shannen Doherty, Richard Simmons, Louis Gossett Jr., Gena Rowlands, Carl Weathers, Donald Sutherland, Chance Perdomo, Peter Marshall and producer Paula Weinstein. Shelley Duvall and Joe Flaherty were absent from the honors. Although Duvall is best known for her films, she was a two-time Emmy nominee and produced children's television shows, including “Faerie Tale Theatre.” Flaherty won two Emmys and starred in and wrote for the Canadian sketch comedy show “SCTV.”

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Bob Newhart, who died in July, received a special tribute from Jimmy Kimmel. “He had no bandwidth, he didn't need bandwidth,” Kimmel said, joking, “Bob had what very few comedians have, especially today — an accounting degree.”

He added: “Bob was a humble, politely funny man. He was first nominated for an Emmy in 1962 and didn't win one until 2013, 51 years later.” He joked that the gap had been a “great lesson” and took a jab at Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who triumphed over Kimmel in the talk show category: “Jon Stewart, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.