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Ice Cube and Stevie Wonder among mourners at John Singleton funeral

Family, friends and dignitaries including Ice Cube and Stevie Wonder were among those mourning director John Singleton at his funeral in Los Angeles.

The private service was held at Angelus Funeral Home in South Los Angeles, the neighbourhood formerly known as South Central, where Singleton spent part of his childhood and where his career-defining film, Boyz N the Hood, was set.

Ice Cube
Ice Cube (Chris Pizzello/AP)

The media was not allowed inside the funeral, which lasted about two hours before Singleton’s coffin was carried out.

Others who paid their respects included Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, Straight Outta Compton director F Gary Gray, American football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, rapper Ludacris, and actors Ving Rhames, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Taraji P Henson and Tyrese.

Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Tyrese was among the stars of Singleton’s 2001 film Baby Boy and 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious. Chestnut, Ice Cube and Long all appeared in Boyz N the Hood, Singleton’s 1991 first feature, which made him the first black film-maker and youngest person to be nominated for a best director Oscar.

The film was the acting debut for Ice Cube and Chestnut. Both praised the director at the time of his death, with Cube saying in a statement that his “passion for telling our stories from our point of view was more than an obsession, it was your mission in life. Your love for the black experience was contagious”.

Ludacris
Ludacris (Chris Pizzello/AP)

The director’s other films included 1993’s Poetic Justice, 2000’s Shaft and 2005’s Four Brothers, and he was the co-creator of the current FX television series Snowfall.

The service came a week after Singleton’s family announced that he had died at the age of 51, days after he suffered a stroke.

Nia Long
Nia Long (Chris Pizzello/AP)

The director’s mother Shelia Ward filed court documents on Friday that included Singleton’s 1993 will. The will names her as executor and leaves nearly all of his property to daughter Justice Singleton, who at the time was his only child. He later had four more children.

Ward and her lawyer estimate in the document that Singleton’s estate is worth 3.8 million dollars (£2.9 million).

A Singleton representative said his family is also planning a public memorial and is deciding on the details, a representative said.