Marty Pasetta, a longtime Academy Awards telecast director, died Thursday evening. He was 82.
The director-producer was struck after exiting a car in La Quinta, Calif., according to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. La Quinta Police responded to the 49000 block of Via Conquistador after a fatal traffic collision was reported.
Keith Stewart, 75, exited the driver’s seat of the vehicle, leaving the transmission still engaged, after he stopped on Via Conquistador to allow Pasetta and another passenger to exit. The car collided into the two passengers, killing Pasetta on the scene. The other injured passenger was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
Stewart was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and was taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Pasetta directed the live Oscar telecast from 1972-1988 and the 1973 TV documentary Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii. The veteran producer earned nine Emmy nominations from 1974-1988.
Other directing credits include AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, The Beach Boys: 25 Years Together, America’s All-Star Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
