Luke Perry, Cameron Boyce honoured at 2019 Emmys

The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards took a break from celebrating the best in TV to pay tribute to the artists the industry has lost over the last year.

Actor Regina King presented this year's In Memoriam tribute with a heart-warming speech, reported People.

"Tonight as we celebrate the very best of the past television season, we also take the time to remember the many legends we lost this year," said the 48-year-old star.

"Although they may be gone, their legacies now endure," she added.

As the emotional video played in the background, singer Halsey sang a heartfelt rendition of Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time'.

One of the most emotional moments came when the tribute turned to beloved actor Luke Perry, who passed away in early March after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 52.

Perry, who was starring as Fred Andrews in the hit CW series 'Riverdale', was best known for playing Dylan McKay in the hit TV series 'Beverly Hills, 90210' from 1990-95. He returned again in 1998 until 2000.

Perry is set to be remembered in the new season of 'Riverdale', with close friend Shannen Doherty appearing as a special guest to honour him.

Another beloved star, who passed away in the recent months is TV icon Valerie Harper, who started as Rhoda Morgenstern in both 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and its spin-off 'Rhoda'. The TV legend won three best supporting actress Emmy awards for the role.

Harper passed away on August 30 at the age of 80 after years of health issues, including leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, lung cancer, and brain cancer. The actor was diagnosed with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis in 2013, just four years after she beat lung cancer in 2009.

At the time of the diagnosis, doctors told her that she only had three months to live, but Harper beat all the odds and continued to live beyond their expectations by six years.

Also honoured was the 20-year-old Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce, who passed away due to epilepsy on July 6, just weeks before the third installment of the 'Descendants' movie series premiered. Boyce also starred in the show 'Jessie' alongside Debbie Ryan and appeared in movies like 'Eagle Eye', 'Grown Ups' and 'Grown Ups 2'.

The tribute also honoured John Singleton, Cokie Roberts, Gloria Vanderbilt, Peggy Lipton, Kristoff St. John, Rutger Hauer, Penny Marshall, Peter Fonda, Stan Lee, Albert Finney, Rip Torn, and Carol Channing, among several others.

The 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards aired live on Fox from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. For the first time since 2003, and taking a cue from this year's Oscars, which recently went without a host, the Emmys went host-less this year.