Farrah Fawcett
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences executive director Bruce Davis said he was not surprised some fans and family members were upset at the exclusion.
'We're sorry'
He said the committee debated including Fawcett in the memorial segment, but "an unusual number of extremely distinguished screenwriters" died this year, and the academy tried to honour many of
them in the short time allowed.
"In every category, you're going to miss some wonderful people," said Davis, who has helped assemble Oscar's In Memoriam montage since it began in 1993.
When asked why Michael Jackson was included when other actors were left out, Davis said the singer had appeared in a popular theatrical film recently.
But he appreciated that the actress's omission would upset some people.
"There's nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all," Davis said.
"They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we're sorry for it."