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"We are sad to relay that John Singleton has
died," the family said in a statement. "John passed away
peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends."
Earlier on Monday, the family said it had made the "agonizing
decision" to withdraw life support from Singleton, who was being
cared for at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles since
having a stroke on April 17.
Singleton was a native of South Central Los Angeles, the
community that was the setting for "Boyz n the Hood," a drama
about friendship amid the peril of gang violence.
He became the first African-American and the youngest person to
be nominated for an Academy award for best director, at age 24,
for the movie, which he also wrote.
Singleton later directed films such as action film "2 Fast 2
Furious" and historical drama "Rosewood." He also directed
episodes of TV shows including "Empire" and "Billions."
Most recently, Singleton was the co-creator and executive
producer of FX network TV series "Snowfall" about the start of
the cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles.
His family said Singleton was "a prolific, ground-breaking
director who changed the game and opened doors in Hollywood, a
world that was just a few miles away, yet worlds away, from the
neighborhood in which he grew up."
He also "loved nothing more than giving opportunities to new
talent" including Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Ice Cube and Taraji
P. Henson, the family said.
Hollywood celebrities paid tribute to Singleton on Monday.
"John was a brave artist and a true inspiration. His vision
changed everything," filmmaker Jordan Peele wrote on Twitter.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by Tom Brown and Marguerita
Choy)
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