The Academy Awards “In Memoriam” tribute Sunday night sparked outrage after users pointed out that Michelle Trachtenberg was omitted from the segment, despite her shocking death last week.
The annual tribute, which honors all those in the film industry who died over the past year, honored a slew of legends including director David Lynch, actors Shelley Duvall, Maggie Smith, and Gene Hackman, who also died last week under what police are calling “suspicious” circumstances.
But the event’s producers failed to include Trachtenberg, setting off many of her fans online.
“They didn’t include Michelle Trachtenberg in the memoriam, but they included Gene Hackman who died days after her. Disrespect,” one X user wrote shortly after the segment aired Sunday.
“Oh f*** y’all for not including Michelle Trachtenberg. So disrespectful,” another user wrote alongside an Oscars hashtag.
A third user chimed in, “Michelle Trachtenberg not being mentioned in the memoriam section of the Oscars is upsetting, you are and will remain so so loved and admired Michelle.”
The Gossip Girl star was found dead in a New York City apartment last Wednesday. Police have said that “criminality is not suspected” in connection with her untimely death. Her family have since declined an autopsy.
Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, were similarly found dead in their home in New Mexico last Wednesday. One of their three dogs was also found dead in a kennel.
The couple’s bodies were found in a mummified state, according to a preliminary autopsy report, suggesting that they had been dead for some time before their discovery.
