Los Angeles, CA

Celebrated director John Singleton has officially passed away after his family decided to take him off life support on Monday (April 29).

TMZ reports Singleton — the first African-American nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director — died “peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends.”

The Boyz n the Hood director suffered a stroke 12 days ago after returning from Costa Rica. He was experiencing problems with his legs, so he decided to check himself in at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he suffered a stroke in his hospital room on April 17.

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Singleton’s family revealed he used to kayak every morning in Marina del Rey and truly had a zest for life.

“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,” they added. “Now in the wake of his death, we must navigate the storm without him. It is, for us, heartbreaking.”

Singleton was 51.

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[This article has been updated. The last version was published on April 29, 2019 at 10:50 a.m. and can be found below.]

John Singleton’s family has reportedly decided to take the famed director off life support. According to TMZ, they made the “agonizing decision” on Monday (April 29).

Singleton suffered a massive stroke earlier this month while at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and has been in a medically-induced coma ever since.

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The family released a joint statement that reads as follows: “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.”

The family also revealed the mastermind behind films such as Boyz n the Hood and Poetic Justice “quietly struggled with hypertensions. More than 40 percent of African-American men and women have high blood pressure, which also develops earlier in life and is usually more severe.”

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Singleton’s family wants people to recognize symptoms and visit heart.org for more information.

[This article has been updated. The original version was published on April 25, 2019 and can be found below.]

Celebrated director John Singleton is reportedly in a coma after suffering a massive stroke at Cedars Sinai Medical Center last week.

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According to TMZ, the 51-year-old Los Angeles native had just returned from Costa Rica and was experiencing some trouble with his legs. While at the hospital last Wednesday (April 17), he had a serious stroke in his room and went into a coma.

His family reportedly downplayed the severity of the stroke and categorized it as “mild.” However, the Boyz n the Hood mastermind was still in the Intensive Care Unit as of last week.

Legal docs state Singleton’s mother, Shiela Ward, wants a judge to appoint her as his temporary conservator because he’s “unable to properly provide for his personal needs for physical health, food, clothing or shelter.”

Ward says he was in the middle of several business endeavors and was prepared to sign a lucrative settlement agreement. She wants to ensure those affairs are handled and execute the final settlement agreement.

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Singleton was nominated for an Academy Award for the aforementioned 1991 classic. His other films include Poetic Justice starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur and Higher Learning. 

More recent projects include the Snowfalltelevision series.