Steve Mensch, president and manager of general operations for Tyler Perry Studios, has died. He was 62.
Mensch died in a plane crash, reps for Perry confirmed with Fox News Digital.
“We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our dear friend, Steve Mensch. Steve was a cherished member of our team for more than 8 years, and well beloved in the community of Atlanta,” the statement read.
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“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.”
No other fatalities have been reported during the plane crash at this time. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
Mensch was the pilot of a single-seat plane that crashed in Florida, a source close to the studios confirmed.
Deputies were on scene Friday, Dec. 6 around 7:00 p.m., when a “small-engine aircraft accident” occurred near the intersection of Highway 19 and Longfellow St. in Homosassa, Florida, the Citrus Country Sheriff’s Office stated.
Mensch has been the president of Tyler Perry Studios since 2016.
He managed the day-to-day operations at the 300-acre studio lot in Atlanta, Georgia that is considered the first major motion picture studio on the East Coast, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“Steve Mensch is considered one of the most influential people in the film and TV production industry in Georgia. He has executive experience in operations, strategic planning, budgeting, business development, and marketing at some of the biggest companies in the industry,” his bio read in part.
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Mensch is survived by his wife and three children.
The news of Mensch’s death comes after Perry halted an $800 million studio expansion due to AI advancements.
Earlier this year, the “Mea Culpa” director had intended to add another 12 soundstages to his backlot. However, after OpenAI debuted its new tool, Sora – which can create visually complex shots of subjects and their backgrounds – it foiled Perry’s project.
“All of that is currently and indefinitely on hold because of Sora and what I’m seeing,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in February. “I had gotten word over the last year or so that this was coming, but I had no idea until I saw recently the demonstrations of what it’s able to do. It’s shocking to me.”
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Perry recognized the benefit of the technology lowering location and set costs at the time. He’s also cognizant it might cost some people their jobs.
“I immediately started thinking of everyone in the industry who would be affected by this, including actors and grip and electric and transportation and sound and editors. And looking at this, I’m thinking this will touch every corner of our industry,” he explained.
Perry opened Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta in 2019, although the company was established in 2006.
