Singleton suffered a major stroke after experiencing weakness in his legs and was admitted to the hospital on 17 April. On Monday, his family decided to take him off life support and he died a few hours later at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
His family issued a statement, saying: “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 thank all of John’s fans, friends and colleagues for all of the love and support they showed him during this difficult time.”
In 1991, Singleton became the first black filmmaker as well as the youngest at just 23 years old to be nominated for an Oscar for Boyz n the Hood. His other films include Poetic Justice, starring Janet Jackson, and his recent projects include the TV series Snowfall.
In addition to being the first black director to land an Academy Award nomination, he was also the youngest person to nab a directing mention, at the age of 24.
Singleton is survived by five children.
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