Legendary director, writer and producer John Singleton died Monday afternoon, April 29, 2019, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he’s been hospitalized since having a major stroke on April 17. He was 51.
Singleton died a short time after his family made the “agonizing” decision earlier in the day to have his doctors remove him from life support.
According to Variety, Singleton’s family issued the following statement: “We are sad to relay that John Singleton has died. John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends. 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.”
Singleton had been hospitalized since having a major stroke on April 17. His family had confirmed that he “…like many African Americans … quietly struggled with hypertension.” He checked himself into the hospital after complaining of “weakness” in his leg after flying home from Costa Rica, and then he suffered a stroke and was placed in the ICU.
Renowned as the writer of the 1990s cultural classic Boyz n the Hood, he went on to write, direct or produce a string of popular movies including Poetic Justice, Shaft, Baby Boy, Hustle & Flow, Higher Learning, Woo, Four Brothers and Illegal Tender. He’s also the executive producer of the current hit TV series “Snowfall.”
When he was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Director for Boyz n the Hood, he became the first African American and the youngest person to ever have been nominated for that award. He’s been nominated for over 25 major awards, including two Oscars (Boyz n the Hood, 1992) and Primetime Emmys in 2016 and 2017. He’s won more than 13 major awards, including an MTV Movie & TV Award. He received the Special Achievement Award from The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) in 2005 for producing Hustle & Flow and directing Four Brothers. Ten years later, he won the award again from AAFCA for continuing his outstanding work in the industry.
Singleton was the keynote speaker for the inaugural Rolling Out Innovation and Digital Entertainment conference (RIDECon) in 2017, freely sharing his experience and knowledge with our audience in a professional, but open and giving manner.
The prolific director is survived by his children: Justice, Maasai, Hadar and Cleopatra.
We at rolling out thank you, John, for the love you have poured into our community for the last 30 years, and our prayers are with your family during their time of grief.
