Steve Mensch, president of Tyler Perry Studios and who died flying a single engine plane that crashed Dec. 6, was honored Saturday by friends and colleagues who painted him as a man with a kind heart, adventurous spirit and deep love for his family.
Held at Tara Theatre, the public memorial drew hundreds of people. Atlanta mayor André Dickens and Tyler Perry both attended to pay respects but did not speak onstage.
Carol Dorsey, vice president of client services for Tyler Perry Studios, gave a heartfelt, tearful eulogy. She recalled first meeting him at Turner Studios, where he worked in studio facilities from 2005 to 2014. “He was always so gracious,” she said, noting that his wife Danila was trying to get pregnant at the same time she was. “I became his friend.”
After Dorsey got laid off from Turner in 2014, and Mensch took over Tyler Perry Studios in 2016, he offered her a job and they grew closer. “He became part of my family,” she said, noting that his goal was for “this to be the Ritz Carlton of studios. He meant that. He had a true love for people and collaboration.”
Credit: TYLER PERRY STUDIOS
Credit: TYLER PERRY STUDIOS
She said she recalled how much “he loved doing things for his kids. His favorite motto was, ‘Family first.’ He cherished that.” If anyone at work needed to do anything family-related, he told them to leave immediately, she said, no questions asked.
“He didn’t treat us like a boss,” Dorsey said. “He respected us. We knew what do to make things great. Our team is tight. He was proud of what we built. When he said he had an open door policy, he meant it.”
She said the team meeting every week would feature breakfast and he’d invite everyone at Tyler Perry Studios to come by to grab coffee and a pastry.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Dave Venable, a fellow plane enthusiast and part of the same flying club, came onstage to say why he and Mensch became best friends. “I didn’t see the Tyler Perry part,” he said. “It was the flying side, the friend side. He was the same guy no matter what.” Though they had different tastes in cars, sodas and political affiliations, he said, “petty differences don’t matter. He was one of the greatest friends of my entire life.”
Venable helped Mensch build a 2023 Vans RV-12iS, the plane that crashed on a highway in Homosassa, Florida on Dec. 6. (The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.)
“He put 600, 700 hours into that over two years,” Venable said. “It had only two seats. He’d always kick me out for [his son] Charles.”
Mensch was part of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2020. Several of his fellow classmates organized and spoke at the service.
Tameka Rish, senior vice president of fan and associate experience for the Atlanta Falcons, had invited him to be part of celebration of the Georgia entertainment business at the Dec. 1 Falcons game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium just five days before he died. Mensch, who was shown on the jumbotron during the game, sat next to Tom Luce, a producer of “The Walking Dead.”
Rish said she was a kindred spirit with Mensch in terms of loving motorcycles. After a motorcycle accident landed Mensch on crutches, she said he complained that many locations were not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He set out to change that. “He lived a life that mattered,” she said. “We are all better for knowing him. Live life with courage and be brave and get back on the horse.”
Gairy Moore, a fellow Class of 2020 Leadership Atlanta alum and partner with Deloitte & Touche, said Mensch’s last name is apt because, in Yiddish, “mensch” means “good person.”
“Steve was a good guy,” Moore said, recalling times they had serious conversations about life: “They were deep, sometimes uncomfortable, but real.” In 2023, Mensch invited his study group to show off Tyler Perry Studios and Moore marveled at how much Mensch loved the place.
All nine busy professional people made sure they were there, Moore said, noting that Mensch proved that friendships matter. “Give your friends flowers when it matters,” he said. “It’s not the length of life but the depth of life.”
Mensch is survived by his wife Danila and three children: Adelayna, Charles and Josephine. He was 62.
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