Sidney Poitier died from heart failure, according to the actor’s death certificate.
Poitier passed away at his Beverly Hills home at the age of 94 from cardiopulmonary failure on Jan. 6, the certificate obtained by TMZ said. It also listed that he had suffered from Alzheimer’s dementia and prostate cancer over the years.
The Bahamian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office originally confirmed Poitier’s death to Fox News Digital.
Siney Poitier died from heart failure, according to his death certificate. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)
“We admire the man not just because of his colossal achievements but also because of who he was: his strength of character, his willingness to stand up and be counted, and the way he plotted and navigated his life’s journey,” Minister of the Bahamas Philip Davis said during a press conference after news of the actor’s death broke.
SIDNEY POITIER’S FAMILY RELEASES STATEMENT FOLLOWING HIS DEATH: ‘HE IS OUR GUIDING LIGHT’
Davis had the Bahamian flag flown at half-mast in the Bahamas and at embassies around the world that day in honor of Poitier.
“We know the world mourns with us. Sidney’s light will continue to shine brightly at generations to come,” the prime minister added.
The actor passed away at his home in Beverly Hills. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)
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In 1967, the star had three of the year’s most notable movies: “To Sir, With Love,” in which he starred as a school teacher who wins over his unruly students at a London secondary school; “In the Heat of the Night,” as the determined police detective Virgil Tibbs; and in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” as the prominent doctor who wishes to marry a young white woman he only recently met, her parents played by Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in their final film together.
Poitier was the first Black man to win the Oscar for best actor for his role in “Lilies of the Field.”
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Poitier was the first Black man to win an Oscar for best actor. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
When presenter Anne Bancroft announced his victory, the audience cheered for so long that Poitier momentarily forgot his speech.
“It has been a long journey to this moment,” he declared.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
