Legendary director John Singleton has passed away. He was 51. Singleton was hospitalised following a stroke on April 17th. It was announced on Monday that Singleton would be taken off life support.
“It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of life support today,” a spokesperson confirmed in a statement on Deadline. “This was an agonising decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors.”
Singleton’s debut film, Boyz n the Hood, is one of the most culturally significant films of the 90s. Singleton scored two Oscar nominations for the film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. These nominations made him the youngest filmmaker and first African American to be nominated in both categories.
In 2002, Boyz N the Hood was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, where it is considered “an innovative look at life and the tough choices present for kids growing up in South Central Los Angeles.”
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
RIP John Singleton, whose films poignantly depicted, humanized & articulated the beauty & struggle of S. Central & L.A. life as well as anyone. The best filmmaker of the hip hop generation, a creator of vivid 3-dimensional characters whose work eternally defined a place & time. pic.twitter.com/7zOpDRwldK
— Otto Von Biz Markie (@Passionweiss) April 29, 2019
Stars in the universe that burn the brightest, live shorter lives than others. And with their high-energy light, they transform all that basks in their luminosity. Farewell John Singleton (1968-2019).
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) April 29, 2019
The best life is when we leave a trail. We leave something on this earth bigger than us. John Singleton….you inspired a generation of Artists. We will shoulder on….'May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest". RIP
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) April 29, 2019
"I learned that no one was going to write the films I wanted to do except for me." – John Singleton
If you weren't there in the 90's you've no idea how revolutionary Boyz n the Hood was. It kicked open a door that Black artists are still walking through. https://t.co/1AwlJRzjHy
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) April 29, 2019
