The cause of death has been revealed for legendary actor Sidney Poitier. According to the death certificate obtained by TMZ, the In the Heat of the Night actor died from heart failure.
The document also said he suffered from Alzheimer’s dementia and prostate cancer over the years. The death certificate noted that Poitier would be cremated.
Related Story: Sidney Poitier Remembered by Oprah Winfrey, Blair Underwood: ‘You’ve Exemplified Selflessness’
The revered actor died on Jan. 6 at the age of 94.
His career spanned over 70 years and included roles in the classic Hollywood films Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), Lilies of the Field (1963), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). Poitier was the first Bahamian and the first Black performer to win the best actor Academy Award, which he received for Lilies of the Field.
In addition to his acting accolades, he was appointed ambassador of the Bahamas to Japan in 1997, a position he held for a decade. He also was a vocal civil rights activist alongside fellow actor and singer Harry Belafonte.
As news of his death became public, celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Blair Underwood, and former President Barack Obama expressed their condolences for the actor and to his family.
Poitier was married twice. He had six daughters — Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina from his first marriage, and Anika and Sydney Tamiia from his second marriage.
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