Oscars 2017: Woman Remembered During ‘In Memoriam’ Is Actually Still Alive


Last night during the 2017 Oscars, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway committed one of the biggest screw-ups in history, but it wasn’t the only one. While the focus has been on the couple for announcing the wrong winner for Best Picture, there was another flub that some people may not have noticed, but a lot did. During the “In Memoriam” of those lost from the film industry over the last year, one of those remembered is actually still alive.

Every year at the Academy Awards, there is a tribute video shown that remembers and honors all those from the film industry who have died over the last year. Last night, it was no different, as Jennifer Aniston introduced it by also including Bill Paxton who had passed away late on Saturday night.

As the “In Memoriam” tribute ran, there were names and pictures of those who had been lost, and it was extremely touching. The only problem is that an issue came about after it aired, and Entertainment Weekly revealed that one of the pictures shown was that of a woman who is actually still alive.

The name of costume designer Janet Patterson was correct as the four-time Oscar nominee passed away in October. However, the problem is that the photo used during the “In Memoriam” segment was of producer Jan Chapman, who is very much alive.

It was an incredible mistake, one that Chapman found hard to take as she released a statement about her good friend as revealed by Variety.

“I was devastated by the use of my image in place of my great friend and long-time collaborator Janet Patterson. I had urged her agency to check any photograph which might be used and understand that they were told that the Academy had it covered… Janet was a great beauty and four-time Oscar nominee and it is very disappointing that the error was not picked up. I am alive and well and an active producer.”

Interestingly enough, the mix-up of pictures during the “In Memoriam” tribute at the Oscars isn’t the only reason the academy is getting attacked.

Late on Sunday night and into Monday, social media was going wild with the names that happened to be omitted from the tribute. While there were far too many names lost to include all of them, fans thought that a lot of those celebrities deserved to be mentioned and remembered.

Hollywood Life put together a list of some of the celebrities who have passed on and were left out of the video.

  • Florence Henderson
  • Garry Shandling
  • Robert Vaughn
  • Alan Thicke
  • Dan Ireland
  • Doris Roberts

There are many more as 2016 saw the losses of so many big names in the world of entertainment, and it would have taken the duration of the show to honor them all. Still, many of the omitted names were quite shocking considering their massive contributions to the history of film.

It isn’t only the fans who are upset either as Patricia Arquette is furious that her later sister Alexis was left out of the “In Memoriam” at the Oscars. As reported by People, Arquette believes that her omission is “a slight to the Trans community” and is unacceptable.

The 2017 Oscars were full of fun times, upset victories, and a lot of celebrities, but the screw-ups appear to be taking center stage. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway’s screw-up on the Best Picture award was one thing, but the picture mix-up during the “In Memoriam” segment is something else entirely. Jan Chapman is devastated and not because she is alive and her picture was up there, but because the picture of Janet Patterson, her good friend, was not.

[Featured Image by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images]

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