Memorial for Tyler Perry Studios head killed in plane crash set for Dec. 28
Steve Mensch, the president of Tyler Perry Studios who died in a plane crash Dec. 6, will have a public memorial service at Tara Theatre in Atlanta at noon Saturday, Dec. 28.
The memorial will honor the life of a man who has actively promoted Georgia’s film and TV industry for the past 30 years.
He worked first for Features Systems Inc., which rented out camera gear and grip equipment and then spent a decade at Turner Broadcasting, where he first oversaw studio facilities, then became director of strategic production partnerships.
Mensch, 62, has been running Tyler Perry Studios for the past eight years.
Tara Theatre, which has been a fixture in Atlanta since 1968, reopened last year after Regal Cinema closed the theater following a slowdown in business after the pandemic. A group of investors led by Atlanta Film Society and Plaza Theatre owner Christopher Escobar saved the theater last year. Mensch was a big supporter of the Atlanta Film Festival, which Escobar also oversees.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Steve Mensch Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
On Friday, Dec. 6, Mensch was flying a 2023 Vans RV-12iS he owned, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. The plane crashed on a road in Homosassa, Florida, 75 miles north of Tampa. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
He is survived by his wife Danila Mensch and their three children: Adelayna, Charles and Josephine.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
