John Singleton, director of the groundbreaking 1991 film “Boyz n the Hood,” will be taken off life support after suffering a stroke, his family and US media said Monday.
Singleton, 51, directed “Boyz n the Hood” as a 22-year-old fresh out of film school. The flick described youth and violence in South Central Los Angeles, the bleak, gang-ridden neighborhood of his childhood.
The movie won Singleton Oscar nominations as best director and best original screenplay, making him the youngest writer-director and first African American to achieve the distinction.
He went on to a prolific career as a film director, with credits that included the remake of “Shaft” (2000) and “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003). His work on television included shows such as “Billions,” “The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” and “Empire.”
“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,” his family said.
“This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors.”
The family provided few details about Singleton’s medical crisis, but said he has long suffered from hypertension. US media reports said he was hospitalized April 17 after suffering a stroke.
Starring the rapper Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr, “Boyz n the Hood” was a breakthrough success that won special honors at Cannes and in 2002 was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress as a “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” film.
The film, which also featured rappers 2 Live Crew and Too $hort, helped to popularize the genre.
“Nobody was making movies about what we were going through in Los Angeles,” Singleton said, describing his inspiration behind the feature.
