
Source: Dan MacMedan / Getty
Hours after being taken off life support, film director John Singleton died on Monday. He was only 51-years-old.
According to Deadline, his family released a statement confirming the news.
“In his private life, John was a loving and supporting father, son, brother, and friend who believed in higher education, black culture, old school music and the power of film,” the family statement said.
They added: “John’s confidence in his place in Hollywood was only matched for his passion for the sea. John kayaked in Marina Del Rey every morning. His greatest joy, when not on set, was sailing his boat, J’s Dream, up and down the Pacific Coast. The American writer Willa Cather once said, ‘There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in the storm.’ We who have grown up with John, made movies with him, sailed with John and laughed with John, know the universe of calm and creativity he created for so many. Now in the wake of his death, we must navigate the storm without him. It is, for us, heartbreaking.”
According to the statement, Singleton “quietly struggled wth heart disease” over the years.
“Like many African Americans, Singleton quietly struggled with hypertension. More than 40% of African American men and women have high blood pressure, which also develops earlier in life and is usually more severe. His family wants to share the message with all to please recognize the symptoms by going to Heart.org.”
As we previously reported, Singleton suffered a stroke in the hospital on April 17 after experiencing leg pain after a flight home from Costa Rica. He was in the ICU and later fell into a coma.
While it had been reported that he died early Monday morning, his family refuted those reports, releasing a statement in the morning that while he was still alive, they decided to take the filmmaker off of life support.
“It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off life support today. This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors,” they said in a statement.
Singleton is survived by his mother, ex-wife and his 7 children.
In 1992, Singleton made history as the youngest person and the first African-American director to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards for “Boyz In The Hood.” The USC grad was just 24-years-old at the time.
Singleton single-handedly created a genre of Black films that focused solely on African-America life in urban America and tackled the complexities of racism, police brutality and poverty.
Black Twitter came together to celebrate Singleton’s life, his body of work and send condolences to his family.
Rest In Power: Black Twitter Celebrates The Life Of John Singleton was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
1.
JOHN SINGLETON . A GENIUS .
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi Mayweather👽🚆🤖🚀🪐 (@JanelleMonae) April 29, 2019
Thank you for capturing US like no other . 😭🙏🏽🖤
2.
You made a girl want to be in film. Thank you so much for your work John Singleton. Rest in peace and power. #RIPJohnSingleton
— Tika Sumpter (@iamtikasumpter) April 29, 2019
3.
This one cuts deep. You’ll never be forgotten. Cause your work will live on. pic.twitter.com/bqCV8RTyc8
— Lena Waithe (@LenaWaithe) April 29, 2019
4.
RIP John Singleton. So sad to hear. John was a brave artist and a true inspiration. His vision changed everything.
— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) April 29, 2019
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RIP John Singleton.
— The Black List (@theblcklst) April 29, 2019
Singleton was the first black filmmaker ever nominated for Best Director and remains the youngest ever nominee - he was only 23 years old while making BOYZ N THE HOOD.
Thank you for the powerful stories you shared with us, John - you will be dearly missed. pic.twitter.com/FhCLOLoAPC
7.
I really can’t believe how talented John Singleton was. He should get the credit that Tarantino gets for being an innovator because Pulp Fiction and Boyz N Da Hood both created the template for 90s films and beyond.
— Check Out Be Platonic The Podcast on Spotify (@TrapCinephile) April 29, 2019
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RIP John Singleton, one of the most important filmmakers of my generation, a groundbreaker for both African-Americans and people raised working-class (so many wealthy legacies in that industry). The youngest director ever nominated for an Oscar as Best Director. 1/2
— MZS (@mattzollerseitz) April 29, 2019
10.
John Singleton of the House #BlackExcellence, the First of His Name, Breaker of Molds, the Speaker of Truth, Protector of Black Expression, Master of Stories, the Glass Shatterer deserves every single rose. Let’s celebrate our king. #JohnSingletonAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/FGZcE9d2Y5
— ESSENCE (@Essence) April 29, 2019
11.
John Singleton created some of the most salient portraits of black life that have ever been committed to film. He is also one of the folks who inspired me to become a mediamaker. Condolences to everyone who knew and loved him. 51 years old, man. https://t.co/F35JhFiTme
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) April 29, 2019
12.
Prayers up for John Singleton, who has directed some of the culture's most classic films🙏🏾🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/Or9rRKzTxG
— MACRO (@stayMACRO) April 29, 2019
13.
Rest up John Singleton. We never met, but Remember The Time literally changed my life. Thank you so much. God Bless you
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 29, 2019
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RIP John Singleton, one of the most important filmmakers of my generation, a groundbreaker for both African-Americans and people raised working-class (so many wealthy legacies in that industry). The youngest director ever nominated for an Oscar as Best Director. 1/2
— MZS (@mattzollerseitz) April 29, 2019
16.
This is really sad news. Rest in peace John Singleton https://t.co/RVZEzn6tEX
— Larry Wilmore (@larrywilmore) April 29, 2019
17.
John Singleton is the first Black American nominated for the best directing Oscar and he has always remained committed to portraying Black urban life onscreen. No matter what happens next, he deserves every flower there is. For Poetic Justice alone, he deserves every flower. pic.twitter.com/Xsgfa3Nkad
— Evette Dionne (@freeblackgirl) April 29, 2019
18.
My prayers go out today to John Singleton and his family. May God bless the young cinematic king who gave us images that will stay with us forever.🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/tohsQTUPbj
— Robert Townsend (@Robert_Townsend) April 29, 2019
19.
The youngest-ever Best Director nominee and an inspiration to us all. John Singleton, you will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/cMWrDz9633
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) April 29, 2019
20.
RIP John Singleton, one of the greats. Imagine writing and directing a landmark film like Boyz in the Hood in your early 20s.
— Adam Serwer 🍝 (@AdamSerwer) April 29, 2019