There were many memorable moments during the 2020 Academy Awards on Sunday night.
Bong Joon-Ho and his film Parasite notched historic wins; Eminem showed up out of nowhere to rap about spaghetti again, and we're pretty sure Joaquin Phoenix became the first Best Actor recipient to talk about cow insemination during his acceptance speech.
But for all the unexpected moments, perhaps none was more surprising than the baffling decision to leave beloved actor Luke Perry out of this year's "In Memoriam" segment.
As you likely recall, Perry passed away unexpectedly in March at the age of 52.
His death sent shockwaves through Hollywood, as fans and colleagues struggled to come to terms with the loss of a TV icon, a loving family man, and an all-around decent human being.
If you've watched enough award shows over the years, then you're well aware of how the tribute segments play out:
A singer -- in this case, Billie Eilish -- takes the stage to croon a mournful ballad -- the Beatles' "Yesterday," kind of an odd choice, as the lyrics are about unrequited love, not grief -- as images and names of stars who have left us in the past year appear on a screen behind them.
The crowd claps appreciatively for each departed industry vet, but only the biggest and most beloved stars receive an extended round of applause.
Perry -- who appeared in Best Picture nominee Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood -- likely would have been the recipient of a standing ovation.
But instead, he was left out of the segment entirely.
The segment got off to a messy start, and many believe it went downhill from there.
The intention was to begin by paying tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash last month.
A quote from Bryant appeared on screen behind Eilish, reading:
"Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged. You have to keep moving. You have to keep going."
Unfortunately, the camera panned to it too late for most viewers to read the entire thing.
But the response to that snafu was one of mild disappointment.
The reaction to the omission of Perry, however, was one of shock and dismay.
Fans took to Twitter to express their outrage by the thousands.
Within minutes, Perry's name became a worldwide trending topic.
Viewers were also upset by the omission of Cameron Boyce, who died at the age of 20 in July.
There are many possible reasons why Perry and Boyce might have been left out of the segment.
Both were primarily TV actors, and producers may have felt that the tribute they received at the 2019 Emmy Awards was sufficient.
Whatever the case, the decision to leave two beloved actors out of the "In Memoriam" sparked understandable fury and sadness among their millions of fans.
