John Singleton (1968–2019), directed the groundbreaking urban drama “Boyz n the Hood”

John Singleton wrote and directed “Boyz n the Hood” (1991), the groundbreaking urban drama film starring Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr. as young men negotiating gang culture in South Central Los Angeles. Singleton was nominated for the Academy Award for best director for “Boyz n the Hood,” becoming the first Black director nominated for the award and, at age 24, the youngest person ever nominated. Singleton also directed films including “Rosewood” (1997), “Shaft” (2000), “Baby Boy” (2001), and “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003), and he directed the 1992 video for Michael Jackson's hit single “Remember the Time.” He was a producer of some of his own films as well as “Hustle and Flow” (2005) and “Black Snake Moan” (2006). He was co-creator and producer of the FX TV drama series “Snowfall.”