Joan Rivers Left Out of 2015 Oscars In Memoriam Tribute, Academy Responds

While the 2015 Oscars In Memoriam tribute poignantly honored late stars like Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall, Maya Angelou and many more, other notable names -- such as Joan Rivers and Elaine Stritch -- were left off the list. Why?

While the Academy didn't reveal the reason why they chose not to include celebs like Rivers during the segment, they did comment on the snub after fans took to social media to express their outrage.

"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," a rep for the Academy said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. "She is, however, included in our In Memoriam gallery on Oscar.com."

While Rivers -- who passed away at 81 after undergoing a botched vocal cord procedure -- was more well-known for her work in television, the firecracker comedian changed the entire landscape of red carpet reporting. In fact, Vanity Fair, in a fascinating piece on the history of the red carpet, credits Rivers and her daughter Melissa for transforming the red carpet "into its own brand of entertainment."

Additionally, the icon also had roles in films like Spaceballs, The Smurfs, Shrek 2 and even The Muppets Take Manhattan. Just a few years before her untimely death, the legendary comedian was the subject of the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. She was recently awarded a posthumous Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album.

Peep the Best Dressed Celebs on the 2015 Oscars Red Carpet