Tributes pour in for groundbreaking actor Sidney Poitier

The Associated Press

Tributes to Sidney Poitier poured in from Hollywood and elsewhere following the death of the groundbreaking actor and cultural icon. Poitier, who died Thursday at the age of 94, was the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for best lead performance and the first to be a top box-office draw. Oprah Winfrey called him a “friend, brother, confidant, wisdom teacher.” Denzel Washington said he was “a gentle man and opened doors for all of us that had been closed for years.” Whoopi Goldberg said he “showed us how to reach for the stars.” Former President Barack Obama said Poitier “epitomized dignity and grace, revealing the power of movies to bring us closer together.”