Boyz n the Hood director John Singleton to be removed from life support

Acclaimed writer and director John Singleton will be taken off life support on Monday after suffering a stroke, his family says.

"This was an agonizing decision, one that our family made, over a number of days, with the careful counsel of John's doctors," Singleton's family said in a statement, reports The New York Times.

Singleton, 51, is best known for the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, his directorial debut that earned him Oscar nominations for directing and writing. He was the first black nominee for Best Director ever, also the youngest person to be nominated in that category, notes IndieWire; he was 24 at the time. He would go on to direct films like Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Shaft, and 2 Fast & Furious.

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Singleton suffered a stroke on April 17 and was placed in a medically-induced coma, NBC News reports. His family on Monday said that he had "quietly struggled" with hypertension. "More than 40 percent of African American men and women have high blood pressure, which also develops earlier in life and is usually more severe," their statement says. "His family wants to share the message with all to please recognize the symptoms by going to Heart.org."