The legendary Barbra Streisand announced in a statement this afternoon that she will not be on hand Saturday to accept her honorary Palme d’or at the Cannes Closing Ceremony. The festival has indicated it will go forward with a tribute to the .
Here is Streisand’s statement:
On the advice of my doctors, as I continue recovering from a knee injury, I am sadly unable to attend the Festival de Cannes this year, says Barbra Streisand. But I am deeply honored to receive the Honorary Palme d’or and had so been looking forward to celebrating the remarkable films of the 79th edition. I was also very much looking forward to spending time with colleagues whom I so admire – and, of course, returning to France, a place I have always loved. While I regret that I can’t be there in person, I want to extend my warmest congratulations to all of the filmmakers from around the world whose extraordinary talent and creative vision are being celebrated this year. My heartfelt thanks to the Festival, and to everyone who continues to support and champion the art of cinema.
Festival leadership confirmed the news in a statement which read in part, “Unfortunately, the Festival has just been informed that Ms. Barbra Streisand will be unable to attend the ceremony at the Grand Théâtre Lumière in Cannes.”
In its original announcement of the award, festival leadership praised Streisand as “a dazzling actress, an unparalleled singer, a force of nature, humor, and sensuality.” Included in her accomplishments are two Oscars, one for Best Actress in 1969 and another Best Original Song in 1977. She is one of the few performers to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony — though her Tony Award was noncompetitive.
Peter Jackson and John Travolta have already received honorary Palms d’Or this year. Past honorees include Agnès Varda, Marco Bellocchio, Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro and Tom Cruise.
