John Singleton's mother has a will, a fortune of $ 35 million at stake

As the world mourns the death of legendary director John Singleton, his family has begun the process of executing his will.

TMZ reports that Singleton's will is in the possession of his mother, Shelia Ward, and will soon be filed with the Probate Court. It seems that Shelia deals with her son's affairs, making him the most likely executor of his will.

Cleopatra, one of Singleton's seven children, accused Ward of attempting to seize his estate and leaving his children outside, after he had applied for a temporary curator position, while Singleton was not able to make decisions. But on his death, the legal battle of the family ended.

Under California law, in the absence of a will, Singleton's assets would be divided equally among his 7 children. But since Singleton made a will to protect his estate, he made the decision on how to distribute his assets.

At the time of his death, his estate was valued at $ 35 million.

Despite the family's deep sorrow for the loss of the 51-year-old director, the death of this filmmaker was an opportunity to address a common and silent killer in the black community: hypertension.

According to their official statement:

"Like many African Americans, Singleton struggled with high blood pressure. More than 40% of African-American men and women have high blood pressure, which also develops earlier in life and is generally more severe. Her family wants to share the message with everyone to recognize the symptoms by going to Heart.org. "

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death among all Americans, stroke is also a leading cause of death, but black men and women are the most at risk. But what are the most common conditions that increase our risk of heart disease and stroke? Obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

"You can not do anything about your family history, but you can control your blood pressure," said Dr. Winston Gandy, a cardiologist and head of medical marketing at the Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta. "Get checked, then work with your healthcare professional on your specific risk factors and how to take care of your health."

Medications often offer a quick fix, but deep changes are needed to get the best results.

"Lifestyle modification is often an untapped approach to lowering blood pressure in addition to medications," said Dr. Raegan Durant, a professor of medicine at the Division of Preventive Medicine at the University of New York. Alabama in Birmingham, at NBC News. "Of course, it's important to take regular medications, but regular blood pressure monitoring at home, a diet low in sodium and high in vegetables, and physical activity several times a week can also be helpful in lowering your blood pressure. blood pressure."

The American Heart Association offers the following resources to those who wish to learn more about taking charge of their health:

• Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721), or visit heart.org to learn more about heart disease and stroke.
• Register to get Insight of heart, a free magazine for cardiac patients and their families, at heartinsight.org.
• Connect with others who share similar pathways with heart disease and stroke by joining our support network at: heart.org/supportnetwork