Sidney Poitier Dies

A legendary actor has unfortunately passed away.

Source: MIKE NELSON / Getty

Sidney Poitier has died at 94. The news was confirmed by NewsOne which noted that Eyewitness News Bahamas said that the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs announced his death.

Speaking about his death, Mitchell said, “We’ve lost a great Bahamian and I’ve lost a personal friend.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper also released a statement and confirmed the legend’s passing to Guardian Nassau while expressing that he was “conflicted with great sadness and a sense of celebration when I learned of the passing of Sir Sidney Poitier.”

“Sadness that he would no longer be here to tell him how much he means to us, but celebration that he did so much to show the world that those from the humblest beginnings can change the world and that we gave him his flowers while he was with us.”

Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty

The family of Poitier has released a statement saying;

“There are no words to convey the deep sense of loss and sadness we are feeling right now. We are so grateful he was able to spend his last day surrounded by his family and friends. To us Sidney Poitier was not only a brilliant actor, activist, and a man of incredible grace and moral fortitude, he was also a devoted and loving husband, a supportive and adoring father, and a man who always put family first. He is our guiding light who lit up our lives with infinite love and wonder. His smile was healing, his hugs the warmest refuge, and his laughter was infectious. We could always turn to him for wisdom and solace and his absence feels like a giant hole in our family and our hearts. Although he is no longer here with us in this realm, his beautiful soul will continue to guide and inspire us. He will live on in us, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren—in every belly laugh, every curious inquiry, every act of compassion and kindness. His legacy will live on in the world, continuing to inspire not only with his incredible body of work, but even more so with his humanity.

We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to every single one of you for the outpouring of love from around the world. So many have been touched by our dad’s extraordinary life, his unwavering sense of decency and respect for his fellow man. His faith in humanity never faltered, so know that for all the love you’ve shown him, he loved you back.”

 

The first Black male Oscar winner, Poitier took home an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964 for his performance in Lilies of the Field. He’s also well known for Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), To Sir, with Love (1967); Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), and The Defiant Ones (1958).

In addition to his 1964 Oscar win, he was also nominated for two other Academy Awards, ten Golden Globes, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and six BAFTAs.

NewsOne adds that Poitier is also an ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan and also UNESCO. In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Poitier with the Presidential Medal Of Freedom. Poitier also received the Film Society of the Lincoln Center’s Chaplin Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

This story is still developing…