As usually, the Grammys' "In Memoriam" segment honors the talented and ironic artists who have passed away - but there was one person noticeably left out of the tribute.
Despite winning her first Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album, "Diary of a Mad Diva," earlier that evening, legendary comedienne Joan Rivers was left out of the montage of late stars. Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich defended his decision to leave the late celebrity out of the "In Memoriam" segment.
"I try and put a time limit on the in memoriam and just have to make choices at some point," Ehrlich told People Magazine. "No disrespect [was meant] at all. I actually knew Joan and worked with her from time to time."
The segment included tributes to late celebrities such as Joe Cocker, Andrae Crouch, Bobby Womack, Maya Angelou and actor-comedian Robin Williams, who earned four Grammys during this career. Ehrlich said certain "hard choices" had to be made in order to keep within the time limit.
"I think it was just that her Grammy involvement was certainly less that Robin's," Ehrlich said, referring to Williams' Grammy wins. "There's only so much we can do and we have to make hard choices when it comes to things like that."
The former "Fashion Police" host passed away in September after suffering complications from a throat operation. She was 81. Rivers' daughter, Melissa Rivers, and grandson, Cooper, accepted the award on her behalf.
"We're here for a special reason," she told E! News. "It's a difficult moment, it's a little bittersweet. [Joan] was nominated once for her comedy album...but it's wonderful how loved she was and how she's getting so much attention now, and people are really understanding what she's about."
