American actor and producer, Tyler Perry has paid glowing tributes to late legendary Bahamian-American actor and director, Sidney Poitier, who died on Thursday in Los Angeles.
He was 94.
In 1964, Poitier became the first black person to win the highly prestigious Academy Award for Best Actor.
In his lengthy and illustrious career, he received two Academy Award nominations, ten Golden Globes nominations, two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, six BAFTA nominations, eight Laurel nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) nomination.
From 1997 to 2007, he was the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.
One of the most popular black faces in Hollywood, Perry took to his Facebook page on Friday to narrate the influence Poitier had on shaping his entertainment career.
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Sharing photos of himself and Poitier at an event, Perry wrote: “Around this time last year Cicely Tyson was releasing her book and promoting it. I had no idea she would pass away shortly thereafter.
“Now, to wake up this morning to a call that Sidney Poitier has passed away… all I can tell you is that my heart broke in another place.
“The grace and class that this man has shown throughout his entire life, the example he set for me, not only as a black man but as a human being will never be forgotten.
“There is no man in this business who has been more of a North Star for me than Sidney Poitier. I’ll never forget inviting him and Cicely to fly to South Africa with me.
“Selfishly, I wanted to hold them both captive for the hours long trip as I literally sat at their feet and listened to their wisdom and experiences. It was life changing.
“All I can say is thank you for your life, thank you for your example, and thank you for your incredible gift. But most of all, thank you for being willing to share YOU to make us all better.”