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Abe Vigoda Left Out of Oscars ‘In Memoriam’ Montage — Social Media Blows Up

By Xander Deccio
Published on: 19:21 PST, Feb 28, 2016

Late actor Abe Vigoda was surprisingly left out of the Oscars “In Memoriam” montage. Vigoda, who was famously know for roles such as The Godfather and The Godfather Part Two, was absent in the presentation. This left many viewers in ire as recent deaths including rocker David Bowie and actor Alan Rickman were included in the presentation.

Though many had noted that Geoffrey Lewis, father of actress Juliette Lewis and wrestler-turned-actor ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper were also missing from the montage, Vigoda’s lack of presence set many off on the internet.

(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
[Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images]
Entertainment Weekly weighed in on Vigoda’s snub.

“Abe Vigoda laughed off the subject of death rumors and jokes for many years, but even after he died on Jan. 26 at age 94, the Oscars left him off their annual In Memoriam video montage.”

Social media blew up on Vigoda’s exclusion from the montage.

Business Insider also weighed in on Vigoda’s absence.

“Vigoda’s absence is particularly humorous given his death has been a long-running joke in Hollywood; his death was falsely reported several times during his life. There are several websites and even a Twitter account devoted to keeping tabs on whether or not the actor is alive.”

In recent years, Vigoda became the subject of premature death jokes. This all started in 1982 when People Magazine falsely reported his death, though Vigoda was still alive and performing in a stage play in Calgary. Vigoda shook off the false report in good humor, and posed for a photo published in Variety with the late actor sitting up in a coffin, holding the issue of People Magazine.

In 1987, the same mistake was made when a reporter for WWOR, Channel 9 in New Jersey, referred to the actor as “the late Abe Vigoda.” The reporter who made the mistake later apologized for the error. In later years, the joke became a running gag everywhere Vigoda was present. This included a joke on Late Night with David Letterman, where Letterman unsuccessfully tried to summon the ghost of Vigoda… Only for Vigoda to walk out on stage and declare, “I’m not dead yet, you pinhead!”

Vigoda’s supposed death was also the feature for a website, and a Firefox web browser plug-in.

(Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
[Photo by Mark Mainz/Getty Images]
Born Abraham Charles Vigoda, the late actor got his start in his teens while performing with the American Theatre Wing. Vigoda gained notability in the 1960s while acting on Broadway. It was at an open casting call that Vigoda was cast as Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather films. Vigoda would later go on to portray Phil Fish in the sitcom Barney Miller. The character would later get a spin-off series aptly entitled Fish. Later roles would include comedy films such as Look Who’s Talking and Good Burger.

Vigoda passed away in his sleep at the age of 94 on January 26, while at his daughter’s house in Woodland Park, New Jersey. The cause of death was ruled as natural causes.

Comedian Jeff Ross said it best on Vigoda’s snub.

[Header photo by Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]

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