Hollywood's 'most powerful man' dies

Otto Spoerri, dubbed "the most powerful person in Hollywood" for his role determining seating at the Oscars, has died at the age of 75.

Spoerri served as controller at the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences from 1978 until 2002. A statement released by the Academy said that he died on Saturday in his hometown of Zurich, Switzerland.

Although he oversaw the Academy's accounting department, Spoerri was better known for masterminding seating plans for the annual Oscars ceremony. During his time positioning big screen greats, The Wall Street Journal referred to him as "the ultimate arbiter of industry power", while The AP called him "the most powerful person in Hollywood".

However, Spoerri played down his reputation, saying: "It's just working with the producer of the broadcast to make sure that where people sit makes the show flow smoothly."