One of the many awe-inspiring things about Tyler Perry’s film studio (besides the fact that a Black man owns one of the largest major film studios in the country — wow), is that he named the 12 sound stages after Black pioneers in the film and entertainment industry. One of those trailblazers is Diahann Carroll.
Prior to her passing on Friday, October 4, Perry already had plans dedicate sound stage 5 to Carroll. He shared reflections to his Instagram page following the news of her untimely death.
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While celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Halle Berry and Will Smith were some of the legends in attendance to dedicate their respective sound stages, Perry stood in for Carroll and encouraged the crowd to cheer loudly because he wanted the icon to “hear us in heaven.”
Perry and Carroll worked together in Craig Robinson’s 2013 film, “Peeples,” where Carroll played the matriarch, Nana Peeples.