- The Washington Times - Saturday, December 7, 2024

Tyler Perry Studios President Steve Mensch died Friday as the sole occupant of a single-engine plane that crashed in the western Florida town of Homosassa.

The crash occurred at around 8 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane went down near the intersection of U.S. Route 19 and a local roadway, causing the closure of Route 19’s southbound lanes until 2:20 a.m. Saturday, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office posted on X.

Earlier Friday, Mr. Mensch flew his plane from Atlanta Regional Airport to George T. Lewis Airport in Cedar Key, just north of Homosassa, then departed at 5:53 p.m., according to tracking website FlightAware.

A map from FlightAware shows that Mr. Mensch turned around and headed back toward Cedar Key before the crash.

In a statement to TMZ, Tyler Perry Studios said, “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.”

Mr. Mensch, 62, has managed Tyler Perry Studios, a film and TV production company in Atlanta, since 2016.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on X, “Marty, the girls and I were saddened to learn of Steve Mensch’s passing. A good man and an instrumental part of a studio Georgia is proud to call its own, his achievements made our state better and brought more opportunities to its people. His loved ones and the entire Tyler Perry Studios team will be in our thoughts and prayers as they mourn this loss.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash, the FAA said.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.

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