John Singleton, the acclaimed writer and director of 1991's Boyz n the Hood, reportedly passed away this morning after suffering a major stroke on April 17.
The 51-year-old filmmaker's family reportedly informed Fox 4 News Kansas City of his passing. Previous reports indicated Singleton had lapsed into a coma following the stroke, but his daughter Cleopatra Singleton filed court documents last week insisting his condition was being "misrepresented" by his mother.
With Boyz n the Hood, the acting debuts of Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut, Singleton became the first African-American, as well as the youngest, filmmaker to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. He went on to direct such films as 1993's Poetic Justice, 1995's Higher Learning, 2000's Shaft, 2001's Baby Boy, all of which he also wrote, and 1997's Rosewood, 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious and 2005's Four Brothers.
Singleton, who directed episodes of Empire and American Crime Story, also created FX's crime drama Snowfall, which was renewed last fall for a third season.
More than two decades before Black Panther became a box-office hit for Marvel Studios, Singleton pitched an adaptation that would have starred Wesley Snipes. The actor, of course, went on to star in the Blade franchise, based on another Marvel Comics character.
Singleton is survived by five children.