Academy Issue Statement on Joan Rivers Omission from 'In Memoriam' Tribute

Last night's Academy Awards ceremony paid tribute to Hollywood's finest who passed away over the previous year. Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep introduced the In Memoriam segment, which included such LEGENDS asRobin Williams, actress Lauren Bacall, and director Mike Nichols. However this traditional portion of the Awards ceremony caused a bit of controversy among fans of late comedian Joan Rivers, who was left out of the segment.

Rivers, who passed away on September 4th following complications from an endoscopy procedure, appeared in such films as "Spaceballs," "Rabbit Test," and the documentary "A Piece of Work." Entertainment journalist, fans and close friends turned to social media to share their frustration and disappointment over the fact that Rivers was not recognized for her contribution to American cinema.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that oversees the Academy Awards, issued the following statement today to explain Rivers' absense from the tribute:

"Joan Rivers is among the many worthy artists and filmmakers we were unfortunately unable to feature in the In Memoriam segment of this year's Oscar show. She is, however, included in our In Memoriam gallery on Oscar.com."

Watch the tribute video in full here.

The 87th annual Oscars took place last night, Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and were televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars, produced by Zadan and Meron, was also televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Click here for the complete list of winners!

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos