John Singleton, ‘Boyz N the Hood’ Director Dies at 51: Report
Oscar-nominated director John Singleton has died at the age of 51, according to the Associated Press. The director, who is best known for such films as Boyz n the Hood and Poetic Justice had been in a medically-induced coma since suffering a catastrophic stroke on April 17.
Singleton was the first black filmmaker ever nominated for an Oscar in the best director category—at the age of just 23. He was considered an influential member of a community of black filmmakers who turned the movie industry upside-down the ’90s along with Spike Lee, Matty Rich, Julie Dash and F. Gary Gray.
“I look at stuff now like, ‘OK, that’s where I was in my early twenties. That’s how I was thinking in my early twenties,’” Singleton told The Daily Beast earlier this year. “I was trying to work it out and I appreciate being allowed to work it out. Now, you don’t get a chance to learn on the job. I learned on the job. I had the chance to have triumphs and mistakes and learn from those mistakes by making films. And I’m very grateful for it.”