Steve Mensch, president and general manager of Tyler Perry Studios, died Friday night when the small plane he was piloting crashed near Tampa, marking the loss of a key figure in Georgia’s entertainment industry.
The 62-year-old executive was flying a single-engine Vans RV-12IS, registered to his Fayetteville, Georgia address, when it crashed about 60 miles north of Tampa. Photos from the scene show the aircraft overturned on a road in Homosassa. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have launched investigations.
“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’s hard to imagine not seeing him smiling throughout the halls.”
Mensch played a crucial role in developing Georgia’s billion-dollar film tax credit program, helping establish the state as a major production hub. His career included positions at Feature Systems and Turner Broadcasting, where he began advocating for increased state support of film and television production.
The accident occurred the same day Perry released “The Six Triple Eight,” a war drama filmed at the Atlanta studio Mensch helped create. He joined Perry in 2016 to develop and manage the 330-acre facility, built on a former Army base.
Mensch is survived by his wife, Danila, and three children.
