R.I.P. John Singleton (1968-2019)

John Singleton

On April 28, 2019, director and producer John Singleton passed away at the age of 51 in Los Angeles, California. As a resident of Los Angeles for most of his life, his films reflected the interests of urban cultures and lead to many iconic films such as Poetic Justice and Higher Learning. Among his greatest achievements was his work on his directorial debut Boyz n the Hood, which saw him at 24 earn a Best Director Oscar nomination. This helped to make him the youngest person nominated for the category as well as the first African American nominated in the category. He leaves behind an inspiring body of work, if just because of his passion for promoting black stories and creating a society that welcomes sharing authentic stories regardless of what the studios think. His ability to form a lasting career is itself an incredible achievement and makes him a unique talent within the industry. He leaves behind a massive body of work that is inimitable and influential front to back.

Singleton was born in Los Angeles on January 6, 1968. He was the son of a pharmaceutical company sales executive and a real estate agent. He attended Blair High School, Pasadena City College, and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He graduated USC in 1990 and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He considered a career in computer science before enrolling in USC's Filmic Writing program. It was designed to help put students into the Hollywood system as writers and directors. With an interest in films like Star Wars and the works of Steven Spielberg, Singleton decided to give directing a shot, and it only leads to some promising results. 

A year after graduating, he directed the film Boyz n the Hood, which was an inner-city drama featuring actors like Cuba Gooding Jr., Angela Bassett, Ice Cube, and Laurence Fishburne. It was a critical and commercial success that lead him to two Oscar nominations: Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. At just 24, he became the youngest person to be nominated in the category and the first African American ever to be nominated. His success lead to a hefty career that included films like Poetic Justice and Higher Learning. He also directed the Michael Jackson music video "Remember the Time," featuring Eddie Murphy and Magic Johnson. He continued to work into the next two decades, shifting his attention to action films like 2 Fast 2 Furious and Four Brothers. He helped to finance films like Hustle and Flow as well as shows like Snowfall.

Outside of his work on film, he became passionate about sharing African American stories. This would lead to him giving passionate speeches about how black stories needed to be told but were being severely let down by the studio system. He believed that while black filmmakers were working within the system, they were not being authentic with their stories due to studio interference. There was a need, to be honest. More than anything, his career reflected this passion. No matter which direction things went, he presented a narrative where black filmmakers could tell stories their own way without having to worry about any reprimanding. As a result, his work contained personal power that continues to resonate with filmmakers across the world. His talents continue to be reflected in the work of his peers and the outcry of support for him in the wake of his death shows just how influential he was to artists like Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr. He will be missed, but his work will live on.