Stars pay tribute to deceased Oscar-winner Sidney Poitier (94): ‘A soul I will cherish forever’ | celebrities

Oprah Winfrey She shares a photo on her Instagram where she hugs Poitiers. “To me today it is the biggest of all cases. A mentor, a friend, a brother and a friend,” Winfrey captioned the photo. “I cherished him, I loved him. He had a giant soul that I will cherish forever.”

Oscar winner Viola Davis Poitiers calls it “greatness. No words can describe how your work has radically changed my life.” She considers it an honor for me to know him. “She showed us that we, as blacks, matter!!!”

Representative Jeffrey Wright, known as “The Batman” and “No Time To Die,” describes Poitier on Twitter as “the only one of his kind.” “What a beautiful, good, warm and truly regal man.” Also among other guitarists Stevie van ZandtThe musician and writer Questlove in a Whoopi Goldberg Make themselves heard. “He showed us how to get to the stars,” Goldberg said. the actor Joseph Gordon – Lovett He called Sydney “the ultimate legend” and “one of the greats” in his homage on Twitter.

Poitier defended black Americans in Hollywood because racial discrimination was the main theme in many of his films. In perhaps his most famous movie, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), he plays the white couple’s future son-in-law. In that movie, he was the first black actor in a Hollywood movie to kiss a white woman. He argued that blacks should not only play villains, and thus rejected what he viewed as transcendental roles. Thus he paved the way for black actors after him.

Halle Berry, who became the first black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002, honored Sydney with a touching honor. “In your ninety-four years on this planet, you have left an indelible mark with your extraordinary talent, paving the way for black people to be seen and heard in the fullness of who we are.”

Representative Tyler PerryWho appeared in the Neftlix movie “Don’t Look For”, responded to Facebook to Poitier’s death. “My heart is broken. The grace and class this man has shown throughout his life, the example he set for me not only as a black man but as a human being will never be forgotten.”

“Star Trek” actor George Takei He describes Poitier as a pioneer who opened many doors in Hollywood. singer Lenny Kravitz He says the actor will never turn out his light. “I have shown the world that with vision and grace all things are possible.”

In 2009 Poitiers was handed over by the President Barack Obama The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor for American citizens. In a tweet, the former president wrote that Poitier “opened the doors to a new generation.” Through his leading roles and unique talent, Sidney Poitier has embodied dignity and grace. It revealed the power of movies to bring us together,” Obama wrote in a picture of himself, Michelle and Poitier together. “It also opened the doors to a new generation of actors. Michelle and I wish his family and fans all the love.”

Oscar-winner Sidney Poitier dies at 94