Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford have a special history. On Sunday, as Redford was honored at the Academy Awards, Streisand delivered an emotional tribute to her late friend. Moreover, she revealed the contents of her final note to Robert.
The legendary actor Robert Redford passed away in September last year at the age of 89. On Sunday, during the 2026 Academy Awards, he, among many others who passed away last year, was remembered via a very special performance.
During the Memoriam segment at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, Barbra Streisand stepped onto the stage in a black gown and shared some very special moments with Robert Redford. For example, how Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid actor used to tease her.
“I miss him now more than ever, even how he loved teasing me,” Barbra Streisand shared. “He’d call me, ‘Babs.’ And I’d say, ‘Bob, you know, do I look like a Babs?’ But the way he said it made me laugh.”
Barbra Streisand reveals her final note to Robert Redford in tear-jerking Oscars tribute
She continued, “Many years later, we were chatting on the phone about the usual, politics, art, Modigliani—our favorite. And as we were hanging up, he said, ‘Babs, I love you dearly, and I always will.’”
That phone call would leave a huge impression on Streisand. It was central when she wrote the last final note to him before he passed away.
“I ended it with, ‘I love you too,’ and I signed it ‘Babs.,’” she recalled.
Robert Redford was loved by many. Barbra Streisand continued by saying that he was “thoughful and bold,” and that she called him an “intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail.”
Before she left the stage, she belted out a tear-jerking rendition of The Way We Were’s title song. Both Redford and Streisand starred in the film with the same name, and the song won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1974.
Streisand tribute to Robert Redford leaves mixed reations
After the emotional tribute aired, viewers quickly flooded social media with reactions — and many admitted the moment left them deeply moved.
On Instagram, one user wrote, “Had me in tears. Beautiful Tribute”
Another commented, “Best part and surprise of the show so far!” while a third added, “A beautiful tribute from Barbra.”
But as the touching performance continued, a different conversation suddenly took over online. Several viewers reported that the background music sounded unusually loud. In fact, it was so loud that parts of Streisand’s speech were hard to hear.
On Facebook, one commenter wrote, “The piano was overtaking her speech.” Another viewer echoed the frustration, writing, “OMG I couldn’t stand how the music was louder than her talking!”
Technical complaints
Others even wondered how the performer herself might feel about the situation. “She’s gonna be really pissed about the audio,” someone else wrote.
Another viewer added, “I agree . They should have cut the music and let her speak . It wasn’t background music it was loud and overwhelming . Poor sound people at the Oscars .”
Despite the technical complaints, the tribute sure became one of the most talked-about moments of the night, and a fitting tribute to a never-forgotten Hollywood legend.
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