Farrah Fawcett’s longtime partner, Ryan O’Neal, is devastated that the late actress was omitted from the “In Memoriam” montage at last night’s 2010 Academy Awards, and is speaking out against the snub:
“It was a terrible decision and very hurtful. Farrah was a member of the Academy for over 40 years and we could not believe she did not get a mention. Both Tatum and I were very upset and we intend to write a letter to the Academy to try and get an explanation for this oversight on their behalf. They gave mentions to sound guys and other writers and without being disrespectful, Farrah Fawcett was an icon and a household name. Quite frankly, we were stunned at the decision not to include her in the tribute and I feel that the Academy should be scolded for that, everyone was shocked.”
The Academy Awards’ tribute section on Sunday night marked the deaths of stars including Brittany Murphy, Michael Jackson, and Patrick Swayze.
Leslie Unger, a rep for the Academy, tells Radar that “unfortunately we don’t include everyone.”