Actor and activist Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94, as reported by TMZ .
The “To Sir with Love” actor has died at the age of 94 and will be best remembered for being the first Black actor to win an Oscar, and his tireless social activist work.
Sidney is survived by his wife of 45 years, Joanna, and his 6 daughters.
Fans have taken to social media to remember the legendary actor, who broke barriers and social norms during his political and acting career.
As aforementioned, Sidney was the first black man to win an Oscar for Best Actor for his starring role in Lilies of the Field in 1963.
His other iconic roles include Mark Thackeray in “To Sir With Love” and Detective Virgil Tibbs in “In the Heat of the Night” in 1967.
In case 1967 wasn’t busy enough for Sidney, he also starred in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner that same year.
In addition to his acting career, Mr. Poitier was a dedicated civil rights activist.
As fans will recall, the actor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Obama.
If that wasn’t enough, the Bahamian-American actor served from 1997-2007 as Bahamian Ambassador to Japan.
There is no doubt Sidney will be remembered for his incredible work both on and off film.
After the news broke, social media became flooded with tributes to the legend.
His pioneering work has paved the way for countless black actors, and his acceptance speech has been recirculating online.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend checking it — out it’s incredibly moving.
Speaking with Oprah in 2000, the actor and activist got candid about the responsibility he felt being the first Black man to win Best Actor at the Oscars.
“It’s been an enormous responsibility,” he explained . “And I accepted it, and I lived in a way that showed how I respected that responsibility. I had to. In order for others to come behind me, there were certain things I had to do.”
Born prematurely, Sidney defied every odd by just surviving against all odds.
“I was expected to be dead within two, three days. I was born two months early, and everyone had given up on me,” he told Oprah. “But my mother insisted on my life. She went throughout the black sections of Miami, where I was born, looking for help to save her child.”
He continued:
“She went to the church, and she went to the few people she knew. Absolutely heavyhearted, my mom passed a fortune-teller’s stall, and she sat with this lady. She said, ‘I need you to tell me about my son.’ And the woman said, ‘Don’t worry about your son. He will not be a sickly child. He will walk with kings. He will step on pillars of gold. And he will carry your name to many places.'”
There is no denying Sidney will always be remembered for his legendary work.
Taking one look at social media, it’s clear to see how many lives he touched in his tremendous 94 years.
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“A gentleman’s gentleman. Epitome of both class and style,” tweeted one fan.
“Sidney Poitier brought us the best of entertainment. Each role he played had you believing his character was real. Condolences to his family and friends,” tweeted another .
RIP to a true legend.
