Legendary Hollywood actor Sir Sidney Poitier has died at the age of 94, a Bahamian government official has said.
Poitier was the first black actor to win an Oscar for his performance in in 1964 for his performance of Lilies in the field.
The historic actor had success with three box office hits In the Heat of the Night, To Sir, with Love and Guess Who’s coming to Dinner.
In the film In the Heat of the Night, he delivered the iconic line” “They call me Mr Tibbs.”
Sir Sidney's cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Watch Sir Sidney Poitier’s Oscar’s acceptance speech
1964: Sidney Poitier’s Oscars acceptance speech after he became the first Black man to win an Academy Award for Best Actor
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 7, 2022
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Fans pay respect after death of Sidney Poitier
Fan rushed to pay their respects following the news of his death.
One fan wrote: “What a class act he was! Rest In Peace.”
“Such a man of grace. To this your final journey to the stars,” added another.
A third wrote: “RIP. An icon, first movie I watched of him was ' To Sir with Love. Then ' Guess who's coming to dinner'. He broke barriers.”
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