Black Twitter Mourns John Singleton, Dead After Suffering Stroke

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The somber news that acclaimed movie director John Singleton had died Monday was met with sadness across social media. An outpouring of grief especially came from Black social media users, with most if not all of them attesting to what a cultural impact the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker had on their lives. READ MORE: Unforgettable Moments From ‘Boyz N The Hood’ Singleton’s family announced on Monday they intended to remove him from life support following a stroke he suffered recently and consequent medically induced coma he was placed into last week.

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From Singleton’s fellow movie directors and members of Black Hollywood to politicians to other noteworthy African-Americans, Twitter timelines were flooded with posts expressing sympathy, sadness and condolences. https://twitter.com/coenesqued/status/1122888473155751936 Singleton’s spokesperson released a statement earlier Monday announcing the family intended to take Singleton off of life support.

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“John Singleton is 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,” the statement said in part. “John grew up in South Central L.A with a love of cinema that showed itself early on. He went on to become one of the most lauded graduates of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Within months of graduating, John returned to South Central to shoot his debut feature, Boyz N the Hood. The movie, which was unusually shot in sequence, masterfully captured a story of friendship, youth and the peril of hard choices in a community marred by gang violence. The film earned special honors at its debut at Cannes and Singleton went onto become the youngest director and first African-American writer-director nominated for the Academy Award. Two decades later, the film was placed in the Library of Congress, a marker of its cultural and historical significance.”

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That announcement came less than a week after Singleton’s family announced that he was expected to make a full recovery. There were also reports of family infighting over Singleton’s fortune, which has been estimated to be about $30 million.