(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)At just 24 years old, John Singleton became the youngest and the first black filmmaker to receive an Oscar nomination for best director and best original screenplay for cult classic film “Boyz n the Hood,” starring Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, Nia Long, Regina King and Laurence Fishburne. But at just 51 years old, Singleton died due to complications from a stroke he suffered almost two weeks before his death. Singleton’s family also said he had hypertension, which is high blood pressure that puts extra stress on blood vessels and vital organs.
His family announced his death shortly after they confirmed that he had been taken off life support.
“John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends,” they said in a statement. “We are grateful to his fans, friends, and colleagues for the outpour of love and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. We want to thank all the doctors at Cedars Sinai for the impeccable care he received.”
Shelia Ward, Singleton’s mother, filed court documents late last week seeking to be appointed as a temporary conservator to make medical decisions and to handle his business affairs.
The Academy Award-nominated director was placed in a medically-induced coma after suffering a stroke April 17 while in the hospital. He reportedly had checked himself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after experiencing weakness in his leg, according to TMZ.
(Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)Stroke is a leading cause of death and severe, long-term disability. Most people who’ve had a first stroke also had high blood pressure (HBP or hypertension). Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke by damaging and weakening your brain’s blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries leading to your brain, blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke.
Weakened arteries in the brain, resulting from high blood pressure, put you at a much higher risk for stroke — which is why managing high blood pressure is critical to reduce your chance of having a stroke.
Singleton directed a number of other iconic films that were loved by both…
… African Americans and critics alike, including “Poetic Justice” and “Baby Boy.” He’s also behind the movies “Abduction,” “Shaft,” “2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Rosewood” and “Four Brothers.”
Most recently, Singleton was the creator and executive producer of the FX drama “Snowfall,” about the start of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles and “its ultimate radical impact on the culture as we know it,” according to FX Networks. In September, the show was renewed for a third season.
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