Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy community is mourning the loss of Lloyd Porter – a beloved business owner who passed away on Wednesday after contracting COVID-19. He was 49.

Crystal Bobb-Semple, a family friend, told News 12 that Bread Stuy – a now-closed coffee shop and bakery owned by Lloyd and his wife Hillary, was the ingredient that united a community.

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"He was so great at getting folks to dream…and believe in themselves," she said.

Deon Wyatt remembers his boss, who was also an actor, dressing up as Santa for the children every Christmas.

"It wasn't just like going in any coffee shop. It was like going to the theater. Because when you came, you got the Lloyd experience."

Deon met his wife while working at Bread Stuy, which closed about a decade ago. The porters opened another shop, Bread Love, which persevered through a fire.

The Porters were preparing to move back to their native California before the virus took Lloyd’s life after a monthlong struggle.

The community has raised more than $70,000 in a scholarship fund for his 11-year-old daughter.