Boyz N The Hood director John Singleton has died at the age of 51, it has been confirmed. The Hollywood filmmaker suffered a stroke on 17 April and had remained in hospital where he was placed in a medically-induced coma.
In a statement, Singleton’s family said he passed away ‘peacefully’ with his loved ones around him. They said: ‘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’s family confirmed his death just hours after they made the ‘agonising decision’ to take him off life support.
Explaining their difficult decision, the family said in a previous statement on Monday: ‘It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off life support today. ‘This was an agonising decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors.’ Singleton is survived by his parents and seven children, including daughter Justice Maya and son Maasai with his former partner Tosha Lewis, daughter Hadar with his ex-wife Akosua Gyamama Busia, and another daughter, Isis, with model Mitzi Andrews. He is also father to a daughter named Cleopatra and another two children. The filmmaker rose to prominence with 1991’s Boyz N The Hood, which starred Cuba Gooding Jr, Angela Bassett, Ice Cube and Laurence Fishburne. Singleton earned the best director Oscar for the critically-acclaimed drama, making him the youngest African-American director to do so at the age of 24.
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