Director John Singleton died at 51 following a stroke he suffered last Wednesday.
Earlier Monday, the family made the choice to remove Singleton from life support.
His rep provided a statement from his family to ET Canada: “We want to thank the amazing doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital for their expert care and kindness and we again want thank all of John’s fans, friends and colleagues for all of the love and support they showed him during this difficult time.”
The family add that Singleton “was a loving and supporting father, son, brother, and friend who believed in higher education, black culture, old school music and the power of film.
“John’s confidence in his place in Hollywood was only matched for his passion for the sea. John kayaked in Marina Del Rey every morning. His greatest joy, when not on set, was sailing his boat, J’s Dream, up and down the Pacific Coast. The American writer Willa Cather once said, ‘There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in the storm.’ 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. Now in the wake of his death, we must navigate the storm without him. It is, for us, heartbreaking.”
Singleton is survived by his mother Sheila Ward, his father Danny Singleton, and his seven children: Justice, Maasai, Hadar, Cleopatra, Selenesol, Isis and Seven.
Memorial service details will be announced at a later date.
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The two-time Oscar nominee, 51, shot to fame shortly after graduating USC School of Cinematic Arts with his film “Boyz N the Hood.”
His family describe him as a “prolific, groundbreaking director who changed the game and opened doors in Hollywood.”
He embraced talents such as Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Ice Cube, Tyrese, and Taraji P. Henson.
Gooding Jr. spoke to ET right after the news of Singleton’s death came in.
Other pieces of work on his resume included “Rosewood”, “2 Fast 2 Furious”, “The People v. O.J Simpson”, “Empire” and “American Crime Story”.
Celebrity friends are taking to social media to honour the late filmmaker who helped so many get their start in Hollywood.
