John Singleton of 'Boys N the Hood' Slips into a coma after stroke

FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2018 file photo, John Singleton arrives at the 70th annual Directors Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. The "Boyz N the Hood" director suffered a stroke last week and remains hospitalized, according to a statement from his family on Saturday, April 20, 2019. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Photo: Chris Pizzello, Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP / 2018 Invision

Boyz N the Hood" director John Singleton is in a coma at a Los Angeles hospital eight days after suffering a major stroke, court papers filed Thursday showed.

The 51-year-old director's condition was revealed in a court filing from his mother, Shelia Ward, who is requesting she be immediately appointed his temporary conservator to make medical and financial decisions for him while he is incapacitated.

Singleton's family had previously announced that he'd had a stroke on April 17, but there had been no details revealed about the seriousness of his condition.

Friends, colleagues and fans including Viola Davis, Mark Wahlberg and Guillermo Del Toro have offered prayers and wished Singleton well since the announcement.

Singleton became the first black director to receive an Academy Award nomination when he was cited for his debut feature, "Boyz N the Hood." The 1991 film about the lives of young men in South Central Los Angeles starred Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.

Director John Singleton, left, and Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. are panelist in F/X The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story Screening and "Talk Back Tour" presented by FOX HBCU Media Alliance at

His other films include 1993's "Poetic Justice," which starred Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur, 1997's "Rosewood," and 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious."

"Boyz N the Hood" – In this thoughtful drama, a South Central Los Angeles high schooler struggles to stay straight in a community polluted by drugs, violence and racism -- and his cynical but devoted father

Singleton's recent projects include the FX TV series "Snowfall," a crime drama set in 1980s Los Angeles.

The documents put the value of Singleton's estate at $1.4 million.

The papers say that at the time of the stroke, Singleton was engaged in several business deals and had been set to sign a lucrative settlement agreement on or around April 30. The documents say that if a conservator cannot sign the papers on his behalf, it will mean a big financial loss.

The documents also include a doctor's statement that Singleton is incapable of giving consent for medical treatment.

Singleton had no existing medical directives in place before the stroke, the documents stated.

It's not clear whether the temporary conservatorship has been granted.

Messages left with Singleton's publicist and his mother's attorney were not immediately returned.

The family had initially acknowledged on Saturday that Singleton had suffered a stroke, saying he was "under great medical care" in an intensive care unit.

 


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