O'Neal disappointed by Fawcett Oscar snub

LOS ANGELES, March 9 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Ryan O'Neal says he was disappointed to see his late girlfriend Farrah Fawcett excluded from the "in memoriam" segment at Sunday's Oscars.

Dozens of members of the film industry who died in 2009 were honored during the touching montage, however, Fawcett's photo was not included.

Although the omission sparked outrage from her fans, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday it had not been an oversight.

An Academy spokeswoman insisted it is impossible to include everyone who has died in the segment and explained some tough decisions must be made every year as to who will be excluded.

"We have no comment other than we were disappointed that she was not included," O'Neal's publicist told UsMagazine.com.

"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 ... 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," O'Neal separately told RadarOnline.

Fawcett, who was known primarily for her work in television, appeared in more than a dozen theatrically released movies. She died of cancer June 25 at the age of 62. She and O'Neal had been a couple for more than 20 years.