John Singleton, ‘Boyz n the Hood’ director, dead at 51

John Singleton, writer-director of “Boyz n the Hood” and industry pioneer, who was the first African American to earn an Oscar nomination for best director, has died at the age of 51.

Singleton suffered a stroke after experiencing weakness in his legs, and was admitted to the hospital on April 17.

He was taken off life support on Monday and died a few hours later at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

His family issued a statement, saying: “We are sad to relay that John Singleton has died. 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 Singleton Family. 

He grew up in South-Central Los Angeles, which became the setting for much of his work as a writer and director.

He attended USC film school and turned his student thesis into the screenplay for 1991’s landmark “Boyz n the Hood.”

In 1992, he became the youngest Oscar-nominated director for Boyz N The Hood.

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

In 2011, Singleton sued Paramount Pictures for $20 million, claiming the company had violated an agreement with him related to the release of "Hustle & Flow." The parties settled for an undisclosed sum the next year, on the eve of trial.