Tony Todd‘s family is fuming at the Academy Awards … and it’s all because the late actor’s name wasn’t included in an annual segment honoring those who died.
The “Candyman” star’s widow, Fatima, tells TMZ … she’s angry the Oscars snubbed Tony from the In Memoriam tribute.
Tony’s widow believes there’s a racial element at play here too … telling us she feels like people of color and women are often ignored as much as possible when it comes time for the Academy to honor the dead.
Fatima says Tony’s long career in Hollywood — over 250 film and TV credits — should have been enough to include him in the In Memoriam … and she says the Academy should commit to highlighting artists like Tony who worked hard and made an impact.
Plus, Fatima says Tony was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 30 years … so something’s not adding up for her.
There are snubs every year and Tony’s widow says he’s not the only one who was deserving last night … and she says the Oscars needs to eliminate other parts of the broadcast to get more folks into the segment.
As we reported … 69-year-old Tony died of natural causes back in November at his Marina Del Rey home in the L.A. area.
His widow says his death was recent enough that he should not have been forgotten at the Oscars … and she says lots of folks are reaching out and telling her it’s not right he was overlooked.
Tony’s rep, Jeffrey Goldberg, tells TMZ he’s received a bunch of calls and emails from friends and colleagues in the industry angry about Tony not being recognized Sunday night.
“I’ll just say that I’m disappointed that Tony was forgotten … the Academy might want to reconsider the way they do this section of the broadcast because although it is great that they remember some of those we’ve lost in the past year, they often forget others that should be honored. Tony was my friend and client for over 30 years and I’m just sad that he wasn’t given the honor that he deserved.”
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Tony was honored at the SAG Awards — and his wife Fatima says they used one of his best photos and made her happy — but no dice at the Oscars.
One interesting tidbit about Tony’s death … Fatima says he held on long enough to vote for Kamala Harris for president, and when he found out she lost the election, he died that night. She jokes, “He said if she didn’t win he wanted out.”
