Actor Sir Sidney Poitier Passed Away Aged 94
8 Jan 2022
Legendary Bahamian-American actor Sir Sidney Poitier, has passed away at the age of 94.
The news announced on Friday by the minister of foreign affairs of the Bahamas and followed by words from Bahamas deputy prime minister, Chester Cooper.
Cooper said he was “conflicted with great sadness and a sense of celebration when I learned of the passing of Sir Sidney Poitier”.
“We have lost an icon. A hero, a mentor, a fighter, a national treasure,” he added.
Credited for transforming how Black people were portrayed on screen, Poitier became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for 1964’s “Lilies of the Field,”.
Close friend and fellow trailblazer Harry Belafonte issued a statement:
“For over 80 years, Sidney and I laughed, cried and made as much mischief as we could,” he wrote. “He was truly my brother and partner in trying to make this world a little better. He certainly made mine a whole lot better.”
The pioneering actor was knighted in 1974 before being given the highest civilian honour in the U.S., the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, in 2009 by then President Barack Obama.