‘Boyz n the Hood’ Director John Singleton Dead at 51

John Singleton, the director behind Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and more, has died at the age of 51. Singleton suffered a stroke earlier this month, and had reportedly been in a coma on life support ever since. Singleton’s most recent credit was the FX series Snowfall, which he created and produced.

Singleton made his feature directorial debut with 1991’s Boyz n the Hood, which resulted in the filmmaker becoming the first African American and youngest person to have ever been nominated for the Best Director Academy Award. “As a black man working in a business that didn’t necessarily have black people in it, I knew that I’d have to write and direct my own films,” Singleton said in a 2016 interview. “Coming from where I’m from, it was a challenge to to be taken seriously enough to get a chance to make a film and – to do what I so ambitiously wanted to do – I had to write it myself.”

Following Boyz n the Hood, Singleton directed the music video for “Remember the Time”, and then went on to helm the 1993 feature Poetic Justice, starring Janet Jackson. Other credits include Higher Learning (1995), Rosewood (1997), the remake of Shaft (2000) and Baby Boy (2001). As the 21st century progressed, Singleton began directing more action movies, including the Fast and the Furious sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and Four Brothers (2005). He also produced the indie drama Hustle and Flow. Singleton would go on to direct episodes of TV shows American Crime Story, Empire, Rebel and Snowfall, which he also created.

When asked what advice he’d offer to the next generation of filmmakers, Singleton said:

“Learn how to write your own material. If you can do that then you can control how it rolls out. You’ve got to be able to correct the blueprint of the film you want to make, otherwise someone else will and then it isn’t your own vision.”

In 2017, reporter Danielle Young accused Singleton of sexual harassment, claiming the filmmaker made inappropriate gestures and comments to her during an interview. Singleton declined to comment on the allegations when they surfaced.

On April 17 of this year, Singleton suffered a major stroke after checking into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The director had recently returned from Costa Rica, and was reportedly complaining of weakness in his legs at the time. On April 25, word came that Singleton was in a coma following the stroke. However, on April 27, Singleton’s daughter Cleopatra Singleton refuted this claim, stating: “My father is not in a coma…[we] do not have a concrete diagnosis, my dad is progressing every day … My father is breathing on his own. He is only medically sedated to keep his blood pressure low and allow the vessels in his brain to heal.”

Earlier today, FOX4 reported that Singleton’s family told film critic Shawn Edward the director had died. However, Singleton’s publicist soon reached out to publications saying Singleton was still on life support. Later in the day, Singleton’s family announced that they planned to take him off life support. Now, the Associated Press is reporting Singleton has died. Singleton was 51-years-old.

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