Steve Mensch obit

Steve Mensch, President of Tyler Perry Studios, Dies at 62

He was killed in a plane crash on Friday night. 

He was not on the list.

Steve Mensch, the president and manager of general operations of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, has died. He was 62.

Mensch was killed in a plane crash in Florida on Friday night. According to Florida Highway Patrol, troopers responded to a single-engine, fixed-wing airplane crash on West White Dogwood Drive, near the intersection of US-98, in Homosassa, Florida. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death is under investigation.

“We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our dear friend, Steve Mensch,” Tyler Perry Studios said in a statement. “Steve was a cherished member of our team for more than eight 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.”

He joined the studio in 2016 and helped oversee its transition from Greenbriar, Georgia, to Atlanta’s Fort McPherson army base, which was converted into a 330-acre film and TV production lot. One of the largest in the country, the lot includes 12 purpose-built sound stages, 200 acres of green space and a diverse backlot, according to the Tyler Perry Studios website.

Mensch managed the day-to-day operations at the studio, considered the first major motion picture studio on the East Coast. After becoming president of the company, he became a major figure in the Georgia business community and served on the Board of Governors of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He was also a founding member and chair of the Georgia Screen Entertainment Coalition and as a board member of several arts organizations in the state, per his LinkedIn.

Prior to working at Tyler Perry Studios, the executive served as president of Atlanta-based Third Rail Studios, where he led operations, sales, technology design, staffing and budgeting for the studio. He was also the director of studio and location operations, as well as strategic production partnerships at Turner Broadcasting for nine years.

Tyler Perry wrote in a tribute, “This time of year, grief meets me like an unwanted visitor, as tomorrow marks 15 years since the loss of my mother. It feels especially harder because I have lost so many friends and mentors this year, ranging in age from as young as 40 to 92. And today, yet another loss.”

“I’ve been trying to understand this tragedy all day — what went wrong with that plane. Steve loved flying, and he loved that plane; he took so much pride in it. Steve Mensch was truly a kind soul and a great leader at the studio. We all adored him and are devastated that he’s gone. I’m praying for his family as we all try to make sense of this heartbreak,” he continued. “Life is but a moment; we are like vapors. Hold strong to the people you love AND TELL THEM!”

Mensch is survived by his wife and three kids.