Last week it was reported that John Singleton — director of the seminal Boyz N The Hood, which made him the first black filmmaker ever nominated for the Best Director Oscar — had suffered a major stroke. Now, as per The Hollywood Reporter, Singleton has slipped into a coma.
According to THR, the news came when Singleton’s mother, Sheila Ward, filed an application to become her son’s temporary conservator, so she could oversee his health and finances while he’s unconscious. According to the documents, Singleton — who co-created the FX cocaine drama Snowfall, which was recently renewed for a third season — was in the middle of several business projects that could, if Ward didn’t step in, lead to “substantial financial loss.” Ward’s application also revealed that Singleton’s stroke, which occurred on April 17, was “major,” which had not been previously reported.
Singleton burst onto the scene with 1991’s Boyz N the Hood, an unsparing look at young people, played by the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ice Cube, trying to survive in low-income South Central Los Angeles. He went on to a diverse career, with smaller projects — Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Baby Boy — mixed with blockbusters, including the 2000 remake of Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Four Brothers. He’s also helmed episodes of Billions, Empire, and American Crime Story.
Singleton’s health shock prompted a flurry of tributes and get-wells, from Viola Davis to Mark Wahlberg to Neil deGrasse Tyson, which will no doubt increase in number after this latest development.
(Via THR)
