Conductor Leonard Slatkin has assured the public he is alive and well after his photo was used by mistake in the Emmy Awards’ in memoriam segment.

Slatkin’s image appeared in the tribute section of Sunday’s ceremony instead of a picture of the late Andre Previn.

Previn, a conductor and composer, died in February at the age of 89. Emmys organisers apologised for the error.

Slatkin said he was “shocked that in giving their best to Andre Previn, they wound up giving their worst to me”.

Speaking to TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he joked: “They talk about people spinning in their graves – Andre’s not spinning, he’s laughing all the way.”

Slatkin, who is music director laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, added: “I knew him very well… Andre, he did it all, he was a great gentleman and I was just so sad that he couldn’t be remembered as he should be.”

Slatkin, who is currently in Ireland, said: “I woke up at about 4am and I got up to follow the baseball scores, turned on the computer, and saw… I knew Andre had gone a few months ago, apparently me too!

“There were a flood of messages that had come in and I kept wondering, ‘Why are people sending me messages if they think I’ve gone?'”

In a statement given to The New York Times, organisers said: “The producers for the 71st Emmy Awards, the Television Academy and Fox sincerely apologise for this error. All In Memoriam mentions on the Television Academy’s website feature accurate imagery for Mr Previn.”

During his show on Monday, Kimmel also made reference to the drop in ratings for the Emmys ceremony.

It was watched by 6.9 million US viewers on Sunday, broadcaster Fox said, down from the 10.2 million who tuned in last year.

Viewers watching the Emmys have halved since 2014. “If things get any worse, they may have to add themselves into the in memoriam reel,” Kimmel joked.

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