Luke Perry was left out of Sunday’s "in memoriam" segment at the Oscars, prompting some on social media to wonder just what happened.
Perry, who died last March at age 52 after having a stroke, was best known for his TV work on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” but did appear in movies. His final film, “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” netted a pair of Academy Awards, including best supporting actor for Brad Pitt.
The segment in question featured Billie Eilish singing The Beatles' “Yesterday” while the faces of those who passed away appeared on a screen.
Perry was not the only notable omission either. Cameron Boyce, a Disney Channel star who appeared in the "Descendants" franchise, and Sid Haig, the actor known for his work in horror movies, were also excluded. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, however, feature them on the "in memoriam" section of its website, which is more populated than the broadcast segment was.
The actor Orson Bean, who died the Friday before the Oscars, was not featured in the television tribute and is not included in the website edition.
"The Academy receives hundreds of requests to include loved ones and industry colleagues in the Oscars In Memoriam segment," a statement from the film academy put out Monday reads, according to E! News. "An executive committee representing every branch considers the list and makes selections for the telecast based on limited available time. All the submissions are included on Oscar.com and will remain on the site throughout the year. Luke Perry and Cameron Boyce are remembered in the Oscar.com gallery."
The film academy has not commented on Perry and others not being mentioned in the broadcast.
Perry's absence left many Oscars viewers scratching their heads.
"Wait a minute? Let me see if I'm understanding this...the Oscars had a memoriam and somehow Luke Perry was excluded despite that he's in one of the nominated films?!" wrote one person.
"shame on the academy for not including luke perry in the 'in memoriam' tribute," wrote another. "seeing as ‘once upon a time in hollywood’ was the last film he made before he passed AND it was up for best picture, I have no words other than I’m disappointed."
"To not feature Luke Perry, given his last role was in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is appalling," commented another person.