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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.