Hollywood director John Singleton dead after stroke

Oscar-nominated Hollywood director John Singleton has died after suffering a stroke. He was 51.

The versatile director, who made a splash with "Boyz n the Hood" and went on to a variety of projects including "2 Fast 2 Furious", had been in a coma since the stroke on April 17. He died on Monday, his family told CNN in a statement.

"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," the family said.

In 1992 at the age of 24, Singleton became the youngest person to ever receive an Oscar nomination for best director for "Boyz n the Hood", a film based on his experiences growing up in South Central Los Angeles.

He also was the first African-American to be nominated in that category.

He wrote the screenplay while attending the cinema school at University of Southern California (USC), winning various awards while a student that lead to his signing with Creative Artists Agency, the powerful talent agency.

Singleton worked steadily in a variety of genres, directing dramas like "Rosewood" and "Baby Boy", a remake of "Shaft" starring Samuel L. Jackson and the action vehicle "2 Fast 2 Furious", the first sequel in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise, in 2003.

Most recently, Singleton was active in television as both a producer and director, which included co-creating the series "Snowfall" and episodes of shows such as "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson", "Billions" and "Empire".

Early in his career, Singleton also directed Michael Jackson's music video for the song "Remember the Time", which he called "a phenomenal experience". He also directed a movie starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur, "Poetic Justice".

As a producer, Singleton was involved with the movies "Black Snake Moan" and "Hustle & Flow".

--IANS

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