Legendary Director John Singleton Passed Away

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Sources are saying that Boyz N The Hood director John Singleton has passed away after suffering a stroke at 51 years old. Singleton was in a medically induced coma at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. earlier this morning when rumors circulated that Singleton was being taken off life support.

Born in 1951, Singleton became the first black director and the youngest director ever nominated for Best Director for his work on his landmark 1991 film. A Los Angeles native, Singleton’s early films such as Boyz N The Hood and Poetic Justice focused on coming of age in the the early ’90s California. In 1992, he directed another landmark in entertainment and film, Michael Jackson‘s “Remember The Time” video.

Singleton returned from Costa Rica earlier this month and complained of problems with his legs. He checked himself into the hospital and suffered a stroke on April 17. Family originally characterized the stroke as mild but Singleton’s mother Sheila Ward, is asking for a judge to appoint her temporary conservator because he’s “unable to properly provide for his personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter.” It was revealed Singleton had been in a coma on April 25.

Singleton’s filmography includes Rosewood, Higher Learning, Shaft, Baby Boy, and 2 Fast 2 Furious. He was also instrumental in a number of projects such as FX’s Snowfall. He was an advocate of black directors throughout Hollywood and dared Hollywood to green light more films and black stories told by black directors.

He is survived by five children.

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