UPDATE Singleton died either yesterday, and the family withheld the news. Or he passed this afternoon. It’s unclear. And it doesn’t matter.
The main thing about John was that he was the youngest person ever to be nominated for Best Director, and first black person, for “Boyz in the Hood.” That we’ve lost him at age 51 is just a towering tragedy. His life has been cut short and we are the worse for it.
Samuel L. Jackson among many expressed his grief on Twitter: “Mourning the loss of a collaborator & True Friend John Singleton. He blazed the trail for many young film makers, always remaining true to who he was & where he came from!!! RIP Brother. Gone Way Too Soon!”
Everyone please take your beta blockers and blood thinners tonight!
EARLIER TODAY John Singleton’s family has announced they’re taking him off life support. He had a stroke on April 17th and never recovered. He turned 51 last January.
As I’ve said before, I so enjoyed John and the times that we spent together at many social events, especially the Oscars. He came to the show every year and loved to hang out in the bar off the stage. He’s been a great guy to talk movies with and Hollywood. He will be sorely missed for that, as well as being a ground breaking director. I hope his family can contain their infighting and figure out a way to show John some respect now.
Here’s their statement:
“We are grateful to his fans, friends and colleagues for the outpouring 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,” the family said in a statement.
“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.”
