The song is written for the film '' Jim : The James Foley Story '' which tells the life story of American photojournalist James " Jim " Foley who was kidnapped in Syria and subsequently beheaded by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ( ISIS ) . Sting , who wrote the song with J. Ralph , discussed the inspiration behind " The Empty Chair " during an interview with '' Billboard '' : Sting performed a solo acoustic guitar version of " The Empty Chair " during the 89th Academy Awards ceremony aired live on February 26 , 2017 . Sting also sang the song in November 2016 at Bataclan , a theatre in Paris , in an exclusive concert to commemorate the 2015 terrorist attack
89th Academy Awards
89th Academy Awards
The Empty Chair (song)