LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — John Singleton, a noted director, screenwriter, and producer, died at on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 51.
A spokesperson for Singleton’s family said he passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after his family made a decision to remove him from life support. Singleton suffered a stroke on April 17th and had been in the ICU unit at the hospital since.
“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,” the family said in a statement.
A native of Los Angeles, Singleton scored his first major hit in 1991 with his directorial debut “Boyz In The Hood.” The film, which earned Singleton his first Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, examined the intersection of race and identity set against the backdrop of the lives of 3 young men in South Central Los Angeles.
Boyz was a critical and commercial success and played a key role in the careers of actors Cuba Gooding Jr. Ice Cube as well featuring strong performances from Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne and Regina King.
Singleton’ continued to explore the meaning of race and identity in his subsequent films, including Poetic Justice (1993), which featured Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, King and Joe Torry, and Higher Learning (1995) with Omar Epps, Ice Cube, and Michael Rapaport.
While Singleton was known for his dramatical works, he was no stranger to popcorn fare, and also helmed films such as the 2000 remake of Shaft, and 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003.
“In his private life, John was a loving and supporting father, son, brother, and friend who believed in higher education, black culture, old school music and the power of film,” Singleton’s family said in a statement announcing his passing.
Singleton is survived by his mother, his father, and his children Justice, Maasai, Hadar, Cleopatra, Selenesol, Isis, and Seven.
