Sidney Poitier’s memorial service will be a private affair due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, his family has announced.
The Poitier family thanked fans for the “wonderful outpouring of love” following the trailblazing actor’s death and said a more public event would be held if virus case numbers subsided.
“The Poitier family so appreciates the wonderful outpouring of love, support and affection for Sidney,” they said in a statement shared by the Hollywood Reporter.
“There have been many inquiries about an event to honor his life.
“At this time, due to the coronavirus pandemic, a private memorial service has been arranged for the family with the possibility of a more public memorial service should the virus’ numbers subside in the near future”.
The Bahamian-American actor, the first black man to win the Oscar for best actor and a diplomat in his later life, died at the age of 94 on January 6.
Tributes to his life and career flooded in from famous faces including US president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris, former president Barack Obama and TV chat show host Oprah Winfrey.
Artists of colour including Quincy Jones, Halle Berry and Lenny Kravitz also thanked him for his pioneering work for diversity within the industry.
