Coexistence Corner

Hollywood Loses Two Icons

By Nate Feldman

Two major figures in the world of American cinema passed away in the last week.  Director John Singleton, famous for movies such as Boyz N The Hood, Poetic Justice, Rosewood, Shaft, and 2 Fast 2 Furious, died at a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke a couple of weeks ago.  He was 51.  The director had been on life support after what had initially been called a minor stroke, but on Monday his mother decided to take him off it, and he passed away a short time later.  Singleton's early work focused on many thorny (and rarely discussed in movies) issues ranging from inner city life for young African Americans and racism in the United States.  He has been credited for launching the acting careers of many prominent African American performers, such as Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, and Tyreese Gibson.  "I wouldn't be here at this level without John Singleton," Ice Cube said in an interview with Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. 

On Thursday, Peter Mayhew, who played the legendary role of the wookie Chewbacca in five of the Star Wars films died at the age of 74 at his home in North Texas.  The reasons for his death were not initially publicized, but according to ABC news a family spokesperson confirmed it was a heart attack.  Fellow Star Wars' actors wrote tributes to their former co-star, describing him as a warm, gentle man.  "He was the gentlest of giants," said Mark Hamill, who starred as Luke Skywalker in the saga, on his twitter page.  "A big man with a bigger heart who never failed to make me smile."