Barbra Streisand on stage at the 2026 Oscars The Oscars may well have set a new bar when it came to “in memoriam” tributes during this year’s ceremony. Regrettably, because the film world has lost so many iconic performers and filmmakers in the last 12 months , this year’s Academy Awards tributes section was extended, with Billy Crystal leading a star-studded homage to Rob Reiner and Rachel McAdams honouring Diane Keaton . At the end of the segment, Oscar winner Barbra Streisand came out to remember her The Way We Were co-star Robert Redford . While it had previously been rumoured that this would include a musical tribute, Barbra is notoriously reluctant to sing live in public these days , so we took the rumours with a pinch of salt. However, the icon made a rare exception for her beloved co-star, concluding the tributes with a short blast of The Way We Were’s signature song, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song back in 1974. Barbra Streisand sings The Way We Were for Robert Redford #Oscars pic.twitter.com/npo96Ar0GG — Lunar Surfer (@TheLunarSurfer) March 16, 2026 There wasn’t a dry eye in the house after Barbra’s performance, and that apparently includes those watching along at home… Babs has me in pieces - best deadies section for years #oscars — paDame Lady Jaz (@ladyjazmana) March 16, 2026 Another beautiful and sentimental tribute to the late Robert Redford by Barbra Streisand ? #Oscars — Cynthia Conte (@cynthia_conte) March 16, 2026 Okay was not expecting that ending but ms Barbara Streisand you got me tearing up and I got the chills.. amazing in memoriam tribute! #Oscars — Sydney Collins (@SydneyNicolex_) March 16, 2026 Barbra Streisand singing during the In Memoriam and I’m sobbing on the couch — Ben Kelly (@BenKelly66) March 16, 2026 Barbara Streisand singing The Way We Were as a tribute to Robert Redford wrecked every single person in the audience and at home watching — Kliff Orrghoudy (@GumbysGrandson) March 16, 2026 Barbara Streisand singing The Way We Were for Robert Redford tribute was ❤️❤️❤️ Especially because she does not like to sing live. That is love. ❤️ — Karin Ryan (@KarinDianeRyan) March 16, 2026 Ok - Barbara Streisand had me in tears with her “The Way We Were” rendition to the in memoriam of Robert Redford. #TheOscars @TheAcademy — Jason Hughes, Esq. (@jhughes_esq) March 16, 2026 Actually gasped at Babs. That was lovely. #Oscars — Lewis (@lewispringle) March 16, 2026 Fully sobbed when Barbara Streisand came out for Robert Redford Then i pulled myself together And cried when she started singing the way we were #oscars — Tovah Blu ❤️ (@thelittletovs) March 16, 2026 Barbara Streisand still has it! — Charisse Rogers (@Readywriter1) March 16, 2026 Barbra Streisand singing 'The Way We Were' during the Robert Redford memorial segment. Oh, my heart! #robertredford #barbrasyreisand #oscars #academyawards — Sheryl Kahn (@sherylkahn) March 16, 2026 Barbara Streisand got my teary singing ‘The Way We Were’ for Redford — Di (@DI82589) March 16, 2026 Barbra Streisand singing The Way We Were….mass healings. — js (@latinakatebush) March 16, 2026 Knew the quick one-two of Diane Keaton + Catherine O Hara was gonna tip me over. Beautifully done this. ❤️ #Oscars — Darryl Griffiths ️ (@LegallyBOD) March 16, 2026 Well thanks Streisand. Im done. #Oscars — Darryl Griffiths ️ (@LegallyBOD) March 16, 2026 Watching Barbra Streisand singing the way we were as a tribute to Robert Redford pic.twitter.com/NxLVs8aJbs — eva (@lovestreams_) March 16, 2026 Before her performance, Barbra recalled: “ After I read the first script of The Way We Were, I could only imagine one man in the role and that was Robert Redford. But he turned it down because he said the character had no backbone and didn’t stand for anything. And he was right. “So, many drafts later, Bob finally agreed to do it. He was a brilliant, subtle actor, and we had a wonderful time playing off each other because we never quite knew what the other one was going to do in a scene. And I’m thrilled that The Way We Were is now considered a classic love story – but it’s also about a dark time in our history, the late 40s and early 50s, when people were informing on each other and subject to loyalty oaths.” Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were She continued: “Bob had real backbone – on and off the screen. He spoke up to defend freedom of the press, protect the environment and encouraged new voices at his Sundance Institute, some of whom are up for Oscars tonight, which is so great. “He was thoughtful and bold. I called him an intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail, and won the Academy Award for Best Director. And I miss him now more than ever, even though he loved teasing me. He’d call me ‘Babs’, and I’d say, ‘Bob, do I look like a Babs? I’m not a Babs’. But the way he said it made me laugh. “Many years later, we were chatting on the phone about the usual – politics, art, our favourites – and as we were hanging up, he said, ‘Babs, I love you dearly and I always will’. And in the last note I ever wrote to Bob, I ended it with, ‘I love you, too’. And I signed it ‘Babs’.” Barbra Streisand honors the late Robert Redford at the 2026 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/AXhfy06C8z — clubheartbreak (@clubheartbreak) March 16, 2026 Check out the full list of winners from this year’s Oscars here . MORE OSCARS: Oscars Host Conan O'Brien Kicks Off Ceremony With Timothée Chalamet Backlash Jibe Yes, There Was An Actual Tie During This Year's Oscars Ceremony All The Celebrity Photos You Need To See From This Year's Oscars Red Carpet