Director John Singleton Dies After Suffering Stroke

The Oscar-nominated director John Singleton has died at the age of 51, more than a week after suffering a stroke.

Singleton suffered a stroke on April 17 and was put in the intensive care unit. After falling into a coma, his family announced Monday that he would be taken off life support.

"John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends. 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," said the Singleton family in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

At 24 years old, Singleton was nominated for the Academy Award for best director for his 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood." He became the first African American to be nominated in that category, as well as the youngest person.

"This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John's doctors," the family added in their statement.

Fellow artists on social media came out to honor the director.

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