Director John Singleton — best known for his work on films like Boyz n the Hood, Shaft and 2 Fast 2 Furious — was reported dead earlier this morning, but his publicist is denying the claim.
UPDATE (4/29, 1:30 p.m. EDT): Singleton's family has now reportedly issued a new statement saying the director will be taken off life support today. The statement reads as follows: "It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of 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." Stay tuned for further updates as they become available.
UPDATE (4/29, 5 p.m. EDT): Singleton has now died at the age of 51. You can read further details here.
FOX4 in Kansas City reported that the family had confirmed the director's death to their film critic Shawn Edwards early this morning.
A number of outlets, however, are reporting that the 51-year-old director is still on life support. Reporters for BuzzFeed and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Singleton remains on life support.
TMZ also reports that Singleton remains at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in a medically induced coma. The site reports he is "non-responsive and not getting better."
Last week, Singleton's mother claimed that the director was in a coma after suffering a stroke on April 17 and was seeking a conservatorship because he was allegedly unable to care for his "personal needs" or "manage his financial resources." His daughter disputed the claims, however, saying that he was "progressing every day."
Singleton's debut film was 1991's Boyz n the Hood, which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. At 24, he became the youngest person to receive a Best Director nomination, as well as the first African-American to receive the nomination.
He often criticized Hollywood for its depiction of black themes, advocating for African-Americans to tell their own stories on the screen.
His other film credits include Poetic Justice, Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers and Abduction. Recently, he directed episodes for Empire, American Crime Story and Rebel. He was also the creator, executive producer and director of Snowfall, which was recently renewed for a third season on FX.
UPDATE (4/29, 1:30 p.m. EDT): Singleton's family has now reportedly issued a new statement saying the director will be taken off life support today. The statement reads as follows: "It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of 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." Stay tuned for further updates as they become available.
UPDATE (4/29, 5 p.m. EDT): Singleton has now died at the age of 51. You can read further details here.
FOX4 in Kansas City reported that the family had confirmed the director's death to their film critic Shawn Edwards early this morning.
RIP John Singleton
— Shawn Edwards (@sedwardskc) April 29, 2019
The family of director John Singleton told FOX4 film critic @sedwardskc early Monday that Singleton has died.
— FOX4 News (@fox4kc) April 29, 2019
Singleton had been in a coma after suffering a major stroke more than a week ago.https://t.co/mrMcKSCcIo pic.twitter.com/5sLwUQqlll
A number of outlets, however, are reporting that the 51-year-old director is still on life support. Reporters for BuzzFeed and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Singleton remains on life support.
I just got an email from John Singleton's publicist about that one report saying he died early Monday morning.
— Michael Blackmon (@blackmon) April 29, 2019
She said: "John is still in life support. That reporting is inaccurate."
I just got an email from John Singleton's publicist about that one report saying he died early Monday morning.
— Michael Blackmon (@blackmon) April 29, 2019
She said: "John is still in life support. That reporting is inaccurate."
TMZ also reports that Singleton remains at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in a medically induced coma. The site reports he is "non-responsive and not getting better."
Last week, Singleton's mother claimed that the director was in a coma after suffering a stroke on April 17 and was seeking a conservatorship because he was allegedly unable to care for his "personal needs" or "manage his financial resources." His daughter disputed the claims, however, saying that he was "progressing every day."
Singleton's debut film was 1991's Boyz n the Hood, which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. At 24, he became the youngest person to receive a Best Director nomination, as well as the first African-American to receive the nomination.
He often criticized Hollywood for its depiction of black themes, advocating for African-Americans to tell their own stories on the screen.
His other film credits include Poetic Justice, Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers and Abduction. Recently, he directed episodes for Empire, American Crime Story and Rebel. He was also the creator, executive producer and director of Snowfall, which was recently renewed for a third season on FX.
