John Singleton, who suffered a stroke on April 17 and has been in the hospital since, has not died, his publicist confirms to PEOPLE.
“John is still on life support. That reporting is inaccurate,” Singleton’s publicist Shanon Barr tells PEOPLE.
The reports of his alleged passing originated from FOX4 film critic Shawn Edwards, who claimed on Monday that Singleton’s family had told him the director died.
There has been conflicting information about Singleton’s health status since his stroke, with one side of his family claiming he is working towards recovery while his mother, Sheila Ward, filed arequest to be named temporary conservatorwith claims that he is in a coma.
Singleton’s daughter, Cleopatra, then fired back at her grandmother in a letter to the court, opposing Ward’s request. The college sophomore claimed Ward is “misrepresenting his condition,” writing, “My father is not in a coma,” while claiming her family met with his doctor to discuss the director’s condition.
“Although they do not have a concrete diagnosis, my dad is progressing every day and in that meeting [with] the doctor [said] that he could be out of the ICU in 5 days,” Cleopatra wrote.
She continued, “My father is breathing on his own. He is only medically sedated to keep his blood pressure low and allow the vessels in his brain to heal.”
Cleopatra suggested her grandfather, Danny Singleton, or older brother Maasai Singleton, as possible conservators, claiming Ward has “abused” her position as the director’s manager.
A lawyer for Ward did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Ward said Singleton was involved in “several business projects and was prepared to sign a lucrative settlement agreement” at the end of the month, according to the documents.
The conservatorship would be established to prevent a “substantial financial loss.”This would not be the first time Singleton’s family has fought publicly — in 2016, one of his sons wrote an open letter accusing Ward of being manipulative and controlling, according toThe New York Times.
(left to right) John Singleton, Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee.Earl Gibson III/Getty Images
Singleton checked himself into a hospital last week after he began experiencing weakness in his legs after a trip to Costa Rica, according toTMZ.
In 1992, Singleton became the youngest person, and the first African American, to ever be nominated for theAcademy Awardfor Best Director. He was nominated for his work directing the classicBoyz n the Hood.
Singleton also directed, wrote and producedPoetic Justice(1993) andShaft(2000). He went on to direct2 Fast 2 Furiousin 2003.
source: people.com
