Legendary Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker John Singleton Dead at Age 51

BTN STAFF

John Singleton was the youngest filmmaker ever to be nominated for Oscar when he directed the critically acclaimed Boyz N the Hood movie. He didn’t win, but he went on to have a great career by putting out movies such as Poetic Justice, Higher Learning and Baby Boy. Unfortunately, the legendary filmmaker passed away when his family decided to take him off life support today (April 29th). The 51-year old Singleton had been in a coma after suffering a stroke on April 17th.

His spokesperson released a statement earlier today:

“John Singleton is a prolific, ground-breaking director who changed the game and opened doors in Hollywood, a world that was just a few miles away, yet worlds away, from the neighborhood in which he grew up,” the statement said in part. “John grew up in South Central L.A with a love of cinema that showed itself early on. He went on to become one of the most lauded graduates of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Within months of graduating, John returned to South Central to shoot his debut feature, Boyz N the Hood. The movie, which was unusually shot in sequence, masterfully captured a story of friendship, youth and the peril of hard choices in a community marred by gang violence. The film earned special honors at its debut at Cannes and Singleton went onto become the youngest director and first African-American writer-director nominated for the Academy Award. Two decades later, the film was placed in the Library of Congress, a marker of its cultural and historical significance.”

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