"Beautiful," "brilliant," "grace" and "elegance" are just a few of the words used by those who paid tribute Friday to the late Sidney Poitier, one of the greatest actors of the past century.
Poitier, who died Thursday at the age of 94, blazed trails as a Black actor who rose to fame during a time when there were few starring roles offered to African Americans. He set a standard for those who came after him.
"No words can describe how your work radically shifted my life," Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis posted on her verified Instagram account. "The dignity, normalcy, strength, excellence and sheer electricity you brought to your roles showed us that we, as Black folks, mattered!!!"
Hollywood mogul Tyler Perry noted on Facebook that "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," Perry wrote. "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."
Said Whoopi Goldberg on Twitter, "He showed us how to reach for the stars."
If you wanted the sky i would write across the sky in letters that would soar a thousand feet high..
— Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) January 7, 2022
To Sir… with Love
Sir Sidney Poitier R.I.P.
He showed us how to reach for the stars
Activist Bernice King, daughter of civil rights icon Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., paid homage to Poitier's work fighting for equality by tweeting a photo of the actor she labelled as being from the "Poor People's Campaign, Resurrection City, Washington, D.C., May 1968."
"Powerful beyond the stage and screen," she tweeted.
Sidney Poitier
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 7, 2022
Poor People's Campaign, Resurrection City, Washington, D.C., May 1968
Powerful beyond the stage and screen. pic.twitter.com/hEKRxGvoM2
Others in the activism community also took to social media to pay homage.
"This beautiful, brilliant, talented Black man," tweeted Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, along with a photo of Poitier. "Rest in Peace and Power."
This beautiful, brilliant, talented Black man. Rest in Peace and Power #SidneyPoitier pic.twitter.com/RD3zhNOeX7
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) January 7, 2022
.
Latest Stories
-
Paris 2024: Opening ceremony showcases grandiose celebration of French culture and diversity
3 hours -
How decline of Indian vultures led to 500,000 human deaths
4 hours -
Paris 2024: Ghana rocks ‘fabulous fugu’ at olympics opening ceremony
4 hours -
Trust Hospital faces financial strain with rising debt levels – Auditor-General’s report
5 hours -
Electrochem lease: Allocate portions of land to Songor people – Resident demand
5 hours -
82 widows receive financial aid from Chayil Foundation
5 hours -
The silent struggles: Female journalists grapple with Ghana’s high cost of living
5 hours -
BoG yet to make any payment to Service Ghana Auto Group
5 hours -
‘Crushed Young’: The Multimedia Group, JL Properties surprise accident victim’s family with fully-furnished apartment
6 hours -
Asante Kotoko needs structure that would outlive any administration – Opoku Nti
6 hours -
JoyNews exposé on Customs officials demanding bribes airs on July 29
7 hours -
JoyNews Impact Maker Awardee ships first consignment of honey from Kwahu Afram Plains
8 hours -
Joint committee under fire over report on salt mining lease granted Electrochem
8 hours -
Life Lounge with Edem Knight-Tay: Don’t be beaten the third time
8 hours -
Pro-NPP group launched to help ‘Break the 8’
9 hours