Director John Singleton Dead at 51
John Singleton has died at the age of 51.
The legendary director behind films including Boyz N the Hood had been in a coma after suffering a stroke on April 17. He died Monday (April 29) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after he was taken off life support.
“John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends,” Singleton’s family told CNN in a statement. “We want to thank the amazing doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital for their expert care and kindness and we again want to thank all of John’s fans, friends and colleagues for all of the love and support they showed him during this difficult time.”
At the age of 24, Singleton became the youngest person and the first African-American to ever be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars for Boyz N the Hood, based on his experiences growing up in South Central Los Angeles.
Singleton went on to direct films including Rosewood, Baby Boy, a remake of Shaft, and 2 Fast 2 Furious, the 2003 sequel in The Fast and the Furious franchise. He also directed Poetic Justice starring Tupac Shakur and Janet Jackson as well as Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” music video.
Some of his friends and collaborators including Ice Cube, Ludacris, and Juicy J took to social media to mourn the loss and pay their respects to the famed filmmaker. See some of their reactions below.
I was discovered by a master filmmaker by the name of John Singleton. He not only made me a movie star but made me a filmmaker. There are no words to express how sad I am to lose my brother, friend & mentor. He loved bring the black experience to the world. ..Us at Cannes ‘90 pic.twitter.com/CaRKjZtjgB
— Ice Cube (@icecube) April 29, 2019
R.I.P John Singleton thank you for helpling me if It wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be a Academy award Winner I gonna miss you bro I love you my prayers for your family we will never forget! YOU ARE LEGENDARY 🙏🏿
— juicy j (@therealjuicyj) April 29, 2019
Rest up John Singleton. We never met, but Remember The Time literally changed my life. Thank you so much. God Bless you
— Chance The Rapper Owbum 📅 (@chancetherapper) April 29, 2019
There aren’t many of us out here doing this. It’s a small tribe in the grand scheme of things. He was a giant among us. Kind. Committed. And immensely talented. His films broke ground. His films mattered. He will be missed. And long remembered. Thank you, John. #RunIntoHisArms pic.twitter.com/wKfOaCGFuA
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 29, 2019
I am so thankful as a kid that my parents took me to the theaters to see your films (Boys n the hood , higher learning , poetic justice , rosewood , baby boy to name a few. You captured our culture so damn well & taught the world about the MANY complex black experiences . 😭🙏🏽🖤
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) April 29, 2019