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Director John Singleton was taken off life support on Monday at the age of 51.
Singleton had been in a coma after suffering a major stroke over a week ago.
The family of Singleton said that they had directed doctors to pull him off life support on Monday, the New York Times reports.
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“It is with heavy hearts we announce that our beloved son, father and friend, John Daniel Singleton will be taken off of life support today,” the statement said, which was released by Singleton’s publicist on Monday. “This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John’s doctors.”
The director’s family had previously confirmed that he suffered a stroke on April 17 but did not elaborate.
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The 51-year-old director was the first black filmmaker nominated for the Oscar’s Best Director award.
Singleton is known for films like Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice and Baby Boy.
Former colleagues and friends took to social media to share their condolences after news of his passing spread.
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The daughter of the Boyz N the Hood director disputed his mother’s account that Singleton was in a coma in a court filing Friday, saying that he had been recovering from the April 17 stroke.
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Cleopatra Singleton, 19, said in the declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court that doctors were still determining the condition of her 51-year-old father.
“My father is not in a coma,” Cleopatra wrote in the document. She added that although doctors “do not have a concrete diagnosis, my dad is progressing every day … My father is breathing on his own. He is only medically sedated to keep his blood pressure low and allow the vessels in his brain to heal.”
Cleopatra said her father’s mother, Shelia Ward, had misrepresented his condition as she sought to become his conservator and make medical and financial decisions for him.
A form from a doctor at Singleton’s hospital, filed with the court on Thursday by Ward’s lawyer, said Singleton was incapacitated and couldn’t make his own decisions, but it didn’t address whether he was in a coma.
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Cleopatra opposed her grandmother becoming conservator and suggested another family member, possibly Singleton’s father or eldest son, assume the role.
The filing suggested a rift between Singleton’s mother and children that preceded his stroke.
Cleopatra wrote that her grandmother had acted as Singleton’s personal and business manager since the beginning of his film career and that she had mismanaged his affairs.
“She has abused this position, particularly pertaining to the support of his children,” the court filing said. “Sadly, my father’s allowed his mother to stay in that position out of fear and obligation to her.”
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Singleton’s friends, colleagues and admirers had wished him well as word of his poor health spread following the director’s stroke.
Shonda Rhimes, Rev. Al Sharpton and fellow director Ava DuVernay were among those offering prayers on Twitter.
“Lifting my highest thoughts + prayers of intercession for John Singleton,” DuVernay said in a tweet that included photos of the two directors together. “His films helped form me. His kindness lifted me up. I remember him coming to the premiere of my indie years ago. Showing love/support for a fellow black director from L.A. He is a lovely man. Pray with me.”
https://twitter.com/ava/status/1121556650899361793
—With files from the Associated Press
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