The TV Academy has apologised for using a photograph of a living composer instead of an image of the late Andre Previn during the Emmys' In Memoriam segment.
The tributes part of the show included a photograph of 75-year-old conductor Leonard Slatkin.
The academy, Fox and Emmy producers said in a statement that it was an “error.”
Previn died at the age of 89 in February this year.
He was a composer, pianist and conductor whose work ventured into Hollywood, jazz and classical music.
Previn won four Oscars for his creating scores and original tracks for musicals such as 1964’s My Fair Lady.
Slatkin posted a picture of Previn on Twitter saying he “deserved better.”
More light-heartedly, Slatkin joked his forthcoming TV appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's show will prove he is still alive.
The academy has said all mentions of Previn on their website include accurate imagery.
Slatkin is a four-time Grammy winner for his classical recordings, but unlike Previn he has not crossed over into television or film scoring.
He spent three years in the 2000s as principal guest conductor at the Hollywood Bowl and is the music director laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
His latest album release, Maurice Ravel Orchestral Works, Volume 6, came out earlier this month.
