The president of Tyler Perry Studios died in a single-passenger plane crash Friday evening in Florida, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.
Steve Mensch, 62, has been head of the film studio based in Atlanta since 2016. His death was initially reported by TMZ.
According to sheriff’s officials, Mensch was the pilot and the sole passenger of the plane that crashed on a road in Homosassa, Fla., around 8 p.m.
The crash closed parts of Highway 19 and Longfellow Street, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. All lanes were reopened just before 2:30 a.m.
The tragic news comes on the heels of Perry being recently honored by the Paley Center and his new film, “The Six Triple Eight,” his most ambitious film and his bid for major awards. The film opened in select theaters Friday.
The studio released a statement to TMZ, saying:
“Steve was a cherished member of our team for more than 8 years, and well beloved in the community of Atlanta. It is hard to imagine not seeing him smiling throughout the halls. We will miss him dearly. Our heart goes out to his family as we all send them our prayers.”
Before joining Perry’s studio, Mensch was president of Third Rail Studios — also based in Georgia — where he managed staffing, studio development and general operations until its grand opening in June 2016. Mensch also worked at Turner Broadcasting as director of studio, location operations and strategic production partnerships for about 10 years.
Mensch is survived by his wife and three children.