LOS ANGELES: John Singleton, who made his movie directorial debut with the acclaimed “Boyz n the Hood” about young men struggling in a gang-ridden Los Angeles neighborhood, died on Monday at the age of 51, his family said.
Singleton recently suffered a stroke, a family spokeswoman said.
“We are sad to relay that John Singleton has died,” a statement from the family said. “John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends.”
Earlier on Monday, the family said it had made the “agonizing decision” to withdraw life support from Singleton.
Singleton was a native of South Central Los Angeles, the community that was the setting for “Boyz n the Hood,” a drama about friendship amid the peril of gang violence.
He became the first African-American and the youngest person to be nominated for an Academy award for best director, at age 24, for the movie.
Singleton later directed movies such as action film “2 Fast 2 Furious” and historical drama “Rosewood.” He is the creator and executive producer of current cable TV series “Snowfall” about the start of the cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles.
His family said Singleton “is a prolific, ground-breaking director who changed the game and opened doors in Hollywood, a world that was just a few miles away, yet worlds away, from the neighborhood in which he grew up.”
US film director John Singleton dead at age 51
US film director John Singleton dead at age 51
- Singleton became the first African-American and the youngest person to be nominated for an Academy award for best director, at age 24, for the movie
Makkah museum displays world’s largest Qur’an
MAKKAH: The Holy Qur’an Museum at the Hira Cultural District in Makkah is showcasing a monumental handwritten copy of the Holy Qur’an, recognized as the largest Qur’an of its kind in the world.
The manuscript measures 312 cm by 220 cm and comprises 700 pages, earning the museum recognition from Guinness World Records for displaying the world’s largest Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The manuscript is a magnified reproduction of a historic Qur’an dating back to the 16th century, the SPA stated.
The original copy measures 45 cm by 30 cm, with the chapters written primarily in Thuluth script, while Surah Al-Fatiha was penned in Naskh, reflecting the refined artistic choices and calligraphic diversity of the era.
The Qur’an is a unique example of Arabic calligraphy, gilding and bookbinding, showcasing Islamic art through intricate decorations, sun-shaped motifs on the opening folio, and elaborately designed frontispiece and title pages that reflect a high level of artistic mastery.
The manuscript was endowed as a waqf in 1883. Its original version is currently preserved at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, serving as a lasting testament to Muslims’ enduring reverence for the Qur’an and the richness of Islamic arts across the centuries.
