May 23, 2019 

By City News Service 

 

The City Council declared today as John Singleton Day in Los Angeles in honor of the late filmmaker, who was known for helming the gritty drama “Boyz n the Hood.”

 

“In a time and in an industry where all the odds were stacked against him, John overcame and became the best at his craft,” City Council President Herb Wesson said. “And more than maybe anyone, he opened people's eyes to a reality and an experience of South Los Angeles that had been overlooked by society.”

 

Singleton died April 29 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at the age of 51, days after suffering a massive stroke.

 

Singleton, whose directing credits included “Poetic Justice,” “Higher Learning,” “2 Fast 2 Furious” and the 2000 remake of “Shaft,” grew up in South Los Angeles, attended USC and produced the A&E documentary “L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later.”

 

He also co-created the FX series “Snowfall,” about the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles. Its third season is scheduled to begin later this year.

 

But it was Singleton’s directorial debut with “Boyz n the Hood,” for which he also wrote the screenplay, that defined his career. Singleton received Oscar nominations for best director and best original screenplay for the film about life on the streets of South Los Angeles. He was the first African American ever nominated for the best-director Oscar, as well as being the youngest-ever nominee in the category.

Category: Community