WASHINGTON — Oscar award winner Morgan Freeman appeared at the 97th Annual Academy Awards to introduce the In Memoriam segment to honor late producers, directors, composers, actors and more. 

During his presentation, he gave tribute to two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman, four days after Hackman was found dead at home. “This week our community lost a giant, and I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman,” he said.

“He received two Oscars and more importantly he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world.” Freeman and Hackman co-starred in the 1992 Clint Eastwood Western “Unforgiven” – the movie that earned Hackman his second Oscar. They were also both in 2000’s “Under Suspicion.”

While presenting, Freeman wore a black glove on his left hand, prompting viewers at home to question its purpose. 

It’s actually a compression glove to keep blood flowing after the actor suffered nerve damage. In 2008, Freeman was involved in a serious car accident near his Charleston, Mississippi home, leaving him paralyzed in his left hand. 

A 2012 profile on Freeman in Esquire, explained that “despite surgery to repair nerve damage, he was stuck with a useless left hand. It is stiffly gripped by a compression glove most of the time to ensure that blood doesn’t pool there.” 

In the interview with Esquire, which partly takes place on a golf course, Freeman shared how he navigates life with his left hand unable to function. 

“I play one-handed,” he said. “I swing with my right arm.”

Freeman was also seen wearing the glove at the 2023 Oscars ceremony.