United Kingdom, March 4 -- The Oscars producers had "enough time" to include Gene Hackman in the In Memoriam segment.

The late actor, along with wife Betsy Arakawa, was found dead at their home last week, and the Academy made a rare exception to include him in the tribute, with footage of the actor closing the montage.

Rob Mills, Disney TV's EVP of unscripted and alternative entertainment, told Variety: "There is a way to go back in last minute.

"Sometimes it's harder than others. There was enough time there.

"I remember when Bill Paxton passed away the day of the show that was hard. Here, it was nice that we were able to get him in and have him close out the montage."

The producers were messaging after his death at the age of 96 to ...