The family of Sidney Poitier will not have any public memorial services for the legendary actor. According to Entertainment Tonight, the family decided on a private service due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Poitier passed away at the age of 94 on Jan. 6, 2022. The Academy-Award-winning actor for Lilies of the Field died from a combination of Alzheimer’s, prostate cancer and heart failure at home in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The exemplary performer had an acting career that lasted 76 years, and he was also the first Black actor to win an Academy Award. Poitier won the Oscar Lilies of the Field in 1963.
His most famous roles include A Patch of Blue, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and To Sir With Love. In 1967, Poitier was also the first Black man to slap a white man in a movie in the film, In the Heat of the Night.
The movie icon was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the first Black President, Barack Obama, in 2009 and served as an ambassador to Japan from the Bahamas for a decade.
His daughter posted a sweet message on Instagram following his death. She wrote about his gift to the world as a trailblazer and of his remarkable capacity for goodness.
“What I want you to know about my beautiful Dad,” wrote Sydney. “Please swipe to read. I love you with all of my being and will miss you everyday. May you be free and at ease, and fill your beloved Cosmos with all that is you.💗 .”
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The family asked that in place of flowers, people should donate to charities that Poitier was affiliated with, such as the Alzheimer’s Association, The Children’s Defense Fund and The United Negro College Fund. The family had hoped to have a public memorial, but ultimately, the pandemic posed too much risk.
