John Singleton will be withdrawn from resuscitation several weeks after a stroke

April 29, 2019, 17:30 UTC

By Minyvonne Burke and Andrew Blankstein

The director of "Boyz n the Hood," John Singleton, will be removed from the resuscitation department a few weeks after a stroke, his family said Monday.

"It was an awful decision, which our family took for several days with the thoughtful advice of John's doctors," said his family in a statement.

The Oscar Academy-appointed director, 51, was placed in a medically-induced coma after a stroke on April 17 while he was in the hospital. Singleton's family reported suffering from hypertension, high blood pressure that puts extra stress on blood vessels and vital organs.

Shelia Ward, Singleton's mother, filed court documents late last week in which she was seeking to be appointed temporary curator to make medical decisions and manage her affairs.

"We are grateful to his fans, friends and colleagues for the outpouring of love and prayers that took place in this incredibly difficult time," said Monday the family. "We want to thank all of Cedars Sinai's doctors for the impeccable care that he has received."

Singleton has directed several iconic films about the complexity of living in inner-city neighborhoods and reaching maturity for African Americans, including "Poetic Justice" and "Baby Boy". He is also behind the movies "Abduction", "Shaft", "2 Fast 2 Furious", "Rosewood" and "Four Brothers".

More recently, Singleton was the creator and executive producer of the FX drama "Snowfall" on the beginning of the crack outbreak in Los Angeles and "its radical impact on the culture as we know it," according to FX Networks. In September, the show was renewed for a third season.

At age 24, Singleton became the youngest and first black filmmaker to receive an Oscar nomination for best director and best screenplay for "Boyz n the Hood", with Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Chestnut, Angela Bassett , Nia Long, Regina King and Laurence Fishburne.

The 1991 crime drama, centered on three friends growing up in gang culture and drugs in south-central Los Angeles, became one of Singleton's most notable films and remains a classic at this day.

His family called him "prolific" and said his job "changed the game and opened the doors to Hollywood".