Joan Rivers won her first Grammy Award on Sunday, but the late comedian was left out of the “In Memoriam” tribute that aired later that night.
Melissa Rivers accepted her mom’s prize — best spoken word album for Diary of a Mad Diva — at the Grammy Premiere Ceremony before the telecast. “If my mother was here tonight, she would not only be honored and thrilled to win, she would most likely have [the trophy] copied and on the air on QVC by 11,” Rivers quipped in true Joan fashion.
While it was Joan’s first Grammy win, she was nominated once before, with a 1984 best comedy album nod for What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most? Another comedian who died this year, Robin Williams, was included in the segment, though he won five Grammys before his death.
Billboard‘s request for comment was unanswered by the Grammys at press time.
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There are often omissions in awards-show “in memoriam” segments. Just last year, Slayer‘s Jeff Hanneman was left out of the montage, and Alice in Chain‘s Mike Starr was left out of the tribute in 2012, the year after he died.
