Sadly, John Singleton, the director behind the classic “Boyz n the Hood” and more recently “2 Fast 2 Furious” has died after a stroke at the age of 51.
Singleton has been in the hospital for almost half a month. He has been in a coma since suffering a stroke on April 17. That’s according to his family’s statement sent to CNN.
“John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends,” Singleton’s family said. “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.”
A historic and versatile career
Singleton saw much success at a very early age. In fact, in 1992, at age 24 Singleton became the youngest person to ever receive an Oscar nomination for best director for “Boyz n the Hood.” He also was the first African American to be nominated for Best Director.
The film focuses on Singleton’s own personal experiences growing up in South Central Los Angeles. It was written while Singleton was attending the cinema school at USC. It was clear he was talented; he won numerous awards while in school. His success led to him signing with Creative Artists Agency.
If a word could define Singleton’s career, it would be “versatile.” He worked in a variety of genres. He directed dramas like “Rosewood” and “Baby Boy.” He remade “Shaft,” which starred Samuel L. Jackson. He even dabbled in the action genre working on “2 Fast 2 Furious.”
Recent work
More recently, Singleton was working in television as a producer and director. He’s also credited as co-creator of the FX series “Snowfall”. It’s a drama about the rise of the crack cocaine epidemic.
He also worked on episodes from shows like “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” “Billions” and “Empire.”
It’s clear there was a shift in Singleton’s career over the years. He moved from movies to television. Looking back in 2017 in an interview with the Guardian, Singleton said, “I could have done more movies.” But he went on to talk about his experiences in Hollywood and its treatment towards African-American movies and filmmakers. This influenced his move to television.
Truly, Singleton made an impact on the film industry. From a young age, he was an icon for versatility, both personally and in his career. Our thoughts go out to his family at this time.
Image courtesy variety.com and nytimes.com
