Oscar organisers 'sorry' for Fawcett omission from memorial
Oscar organisers 'sorry' for Farrah Fawcett omission from memorial
Wednesday, 10, Mar 2010 12:15
By Lewis Bazley.
The late Farrah Fawcett was not included in the In Memoriam segment of the recent Academy awards as she was more renowned for television work, organisers have claimed.
The family of the Charlie's Angels star said they were "deeply saddened" and "bereft" that the actress was not featured in the ceremony's memorial section, which saw James Taylor perform the Beatles' In My Life while tributes were paid to the likes of Patrick Swayze, Roy Disney and Brittany Murphy, who all passed away in the last year.
Fawcett died of cancer in June last year but was not included in the segment though singer Michael Jackson - who also died in June 2009 - was featured.
"In every category, you're going to miss some wonderful people," said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' executive director Bruce Davis in response to the complaints of Fawcett's family.
"There's nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all," he added.
"They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we're sorry for it."
Jackson had been included in the montage having featured in a recent theatrical film, Davis argued, while "an unusual number of extremely distinguished screenwriters" died in the last year, meaning the memorial segment had to feature as many people as possible.