R.I.P. John Singleton

John Singleton, the filmmaking maverick who shifted mainstream focus onto black art with Boyz N The Hood, Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, and much more, passed away after suffering a major stroke on April 17. Prior to his family’s earlier decision to remove him off of life support – a choice that was confirmed by a statement from Singleton’s publicists -Singleton slipped into a coma and did not recover. Per Deadline, the family released the following statement: “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.” He was 51 years old.

Born in Los Angeles, Singleton developed and maintained an early love of cinema by enrolling into the USC School Of Cinematic Arts. Soon after graduating in 1990, the budding director and screenwriter completed his first film Boy N The Hood, a bold and dramatic tale of inner city life starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, and Angela Bassett. Not only did his debuting effort receive resounding critical acclaim, it established a distinct point of view within a landscape largely reserved for white male filmmakers. His impact was swift: Singleton was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, becoming the first African-American to be nominated as well as the youngest person ever to receive the honor. In 2002, the Library Of Congress entered the film into the National Film Registry for preservation, deeming the work “culturally significant.” He would go on to direct action films, adding Shaft and 2 Fast 2 Furious to his steadily diversifying body of work.