Actor and activist Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94, as reported by TMZ.
Actor and activist Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94, as reported by TMZ.
Sidney is survived by his wife of 45 years, Joanna, and his 6 daughters.
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.
In case 1967 wasn't busy enough for Sidney, he also starred in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner that same year.
As fans will recall, the actor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Obama.
There is no doubt Sidney will be remembered for his incredible work both on and off film.
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.
"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."
"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."
"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.'"
Taking one look at social media, it's clear to see how many lives he touched in his tremendous 94 years.
"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.