Sony honours John Singleton by renaming theatre after him

Sony Pictures Entertainment on Friday announced that the 'Backstage Theater', the 102-seat primary theatre in Culver City, had been renamed as the 'John Singleton Theatre'.

"As the first African American filmmaker to earn an Academy Award nomination for best director, John broke a major barrier in our industry and inspired a generation," The Hollywood Reporter quoted Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Picture's Motion Picture Group, as saying.

"His vision and skill enriched the world with a great film and television content and he leaves a tremendous legacy, especially here at Columbia Pictures. We are honoured to memorialise him in this way and look forward to dedicating the new theatre with his friends and family later this summer."

Sony, under its Columbia Pictures label, released Singleton's highly praised first feature 'Boyz N the Hood', which earned him the first-ever best director Oscar nomination for an African American.

"We are so pleased that Sony Pictures will be honouring our father in this way," two of Singleton's children, Justice and Maasai, said in a statement.

"It is such a fitting tribute, given the special place that Columbia Pictures was for him at the beginning of his career. The studio system was incredibly supportive of him in his work, which is something he deeply appreciated. This is especially touching for us. As children, we were often brought to the lot while our father worked. Those days were fun and educational, and laid the groundwork for our own careers today," they said.

Singleton died on April 28 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. after being taken off life support following a massive stroke on April 17. The 'Boyz n the Hood' director had been in a coma since then. He passed away at the age of 51.