Judy Garland, who famously played Dorothy in the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, received a ‘beautiful’ tribute during the 2025 Oscars which deeply touched the late actress’ daughter Lorna Luft.
Ariana Grande, who played Glinda in Wicked, paid homage to Garland at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, with a Wicked medley.
Garland originally sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which was one of the songs featured in the performance by Grande.
Luft shared her heartfelt reaction to the performance on her Instagram stories, “Thank you to @arianagrande, @cynthiaerivo, & @theacademy for honoring my mother’s memory so beautifully,” she wrote. “Myself and my family are very grateful.”
“All Love, Lorna [heart emoji],” she concluded the message.
According to People magazine, apart from the performance, Grande’s dress also included a nod to Dorothy’s iconic ruby slippers. She wore a shimmering red ruby gown with matching heels adorned with bows and a cascading tulle skirt.
On the back of the dress was a third shoe, a tonal 3D trompe l’oeil placed between her shoulder blades.
Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, sang Home from the 1975 Broadway show The Wiz. The two then joined together to sing Defying Gravity which concluded the final act of the Wicked musical.
Grande stepped aside for the final high notes as Erivo received a standing ovation with thunderous applause.
Wicked was nominated for 10 Oscars including best picture and best original score. It won two awards in the categories of Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
