John Singleton's Daughter Disputes Coma Claims; Says Filmmaker Could Leave ICU This Week

After multiple reports have surfaced that director John Singleton is in a coma, his daughter Cleopatra Singleton is speaking out against such claims—specifically, against those of her grandmother. Cleopatra says that Sheila Ward, John Singleton’s mother, is “misrepresenting” his condition.

Ward, who wants temporary conservatorship over her son, says that the 51-year-old is in a coma and had a “major stroke” more than a week ago, according to CNN. In legal papers seen by the news network, Ward says Singleton is incapacitated, “unable to provide for his personal needs” or “manage his financial resources.”

Cleopatra Singleton does not want her grandmother named conservator because as the director’s “personal and business manager,” she says, Ward has a conflict of interest. Cleopatra also disputes Ward’s claim that John Singleton is in a coma, according to court papers filed Friday.

From CNN:

“Although they do not have a concrete diagnosis, my dad is progressing every day…he is only medically sedated to keep his blood pressure low and allow the vessels in his brain to heal,” Cleopatra Singleton’s filing states.

She also claims in her filing that the filmmaker has been responding to stimuli and that a doctor has said the filmmaker could be out of the ICU in five days.

On April 20, unnamed members of John Singleton’s family told news outlets that he did have a stroke. The director of films including Baby Boy, Boyz n the Hood and Poetic Justice had most recently collaborated on the FX series Snowfall, which finished its second season last year and has been renewed for a third.

Correction: Sept. 21, 2019, 11:53 a.m. ET: This story has been edited to remove unattributed text and to add fuller sourcing.