Groundbreaking film director, screenwriter, and producer John Singleton died today (Monday, April 29). CNN reports that he had been in a coma since April 17 after suffering from a stroke.
“John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends,” Singleton’s family told the news outlet. “We want to thank the amazing doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital for their expert care and kindness and we again want thank all of John’s fans, friends and colleagues for all of the love and support they showed him during this difficult time.”
At age 24, he was the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director, and the first African-American to be nominated for the award for 1991 cult classic film Boyz n the Hood starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut and Angela Bassett.
A native of South Los Angeles, his early films projects include Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995), and Baby Boy (2001). Some of his other films include dramas Rosewood (1997), Shaft (2000), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), and Four Brothers (2005). He later co-created crime drama Snowfall.
