Sidney Poitier: Death certificate cites heart failure, dementia, prostate cancer
Legendary actor, director and activist Sidney Poitier died of a combination of heart failure, Alzheimer’s dementia and prostate cancer, according to his death certificate.
Poitier died in Beverly Hills on Jan. 6 at the age of 94. TMZ was the first media outlet to report the iconic actor’s official cause of death.
>> Related: Sidney Poitier, first Black man to win Best Actor Oscar, dies at 94
According to NBC News, Poitier’s death certificate, issued by Los Angeles County, noted that the “To Sir, With Love” and “The Defiant Ones” actor’s career spanned 76 years.
Specifically, the death certificate, obtained by CNN on Tuesday, listed cardiopulmonary failure as Poitier’s cause of death, with Alzheimer’s dementia and prostate cancer listed as underlying health issues.
>> Related: Celebrities offer tribute to Sidney Poitier online
Poitier was a trailblazer in the Hollywood film industry, making his film debut in 1950′s “No Way Out.” But it was 1963′s “Lilies of the Field” that earned him an Oscar for best actor, the first to go to a Black person, The Associated Press reported.
Other high-profile Poitier projects throughout his expansive career included “Porgy and Bess,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “In the Heat of the Night” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”
>> Related: Sidney Poitier dies: Here is a list of the films he acted in, directed
In addition to his Academy Award, Poitier was lauded with numerous accolades, including a Kennedy Center Honors in 1995, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, two Golden Globe awards (including a lifetime achievement honor in 1982) and a Grammy for narrating his autobiography, “The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography,” published in 2000, NBC News reported.
Actors Richard Widmark (1914 – 2008) and Sidney Poitier in a scene of American noir film ‘No Way Out’, 1950. Original caption reads: ‘Ray Biddle (Richard Widmark) keeps up such a volley of insults at the Negro Dr. Brooks (Sidney Poitier) that he has to be handcuffed to his bed before Brooks can go on with his try to save Johnny Biddle (Dick Paxton)’s life. Scene from the 1950 20th Century Fox production of "No Way Out."’ Undated movie still.
From left to right, actors Judy Geeson, Adrienne Posta, Sidney Poitier and Lulu on the set of the drama film ‘To Sir, With Love’, in which they all star, UK, 15th June 1966. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Harry Belafonte (left) and Sidney Poitier attend NAACP Legal Defense Fund Gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, November 27, 1993. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 17: (L-R) Singer Harry Belafonte, and actors Laurence Fishburne and Sidney Poitier attend the 43rd NAACP Image Awards held at The Shrine Auditorium on February 17, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards)
HOLLYWOOD, CA – APRIL 24: (L-R) Actors Sidney Poitier, Sally Field and Harrison Ford attend Target Presents AFI’s Night at the Movies at ArcLight Cinemas on April 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for AFI)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JANUARY 15: Actress Helen Mirren, actors Morgan Freeman, and Sidney Poitier pose in the press room with the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe award for career achievement at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – DECEMBER 19: Actor Sidney Poitier attends the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation’s 6th Annual Christmas Gala and Fundraiser at Montage Beverly Hills on December 19, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images for The Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation)
HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 02: Actors Angelina Jolie (L) and Sidney Poitier speak onstage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
