Director John Hughes Dies at 59

TMZ is reporting that writer and director John Hughes has died at age 59 while in town. The website says he was taking a morning walk during a trip to visit family. Hughes is best known as the writer and director who defined the teen genre and led to the "Brat Pack" phenomenon throughout the 1980s, creating films such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science and Some Kind of Wonderful. Hughes had a background in comedy, getting his start at National Lampoon and continuing to write screenplays for contemporary comedies up until last year's Drillbit Taylor. A majority of the teen films that Hughes shaped a generation with took place in the greater Chicago area in which he grew up, but several of his screenplays were set in Gotham, including Home Alone 2, Maid in Mahattan, and the remake of Miracle on 34th Street. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy, two sons, John and James, and four grandchildren.

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By Billy Parker in Arts and Events on August 6, 2009 5:11 PM

Comments [rss]

John Del Signore

Billy, how could you have omitted Hughes's best film, and one of the best comedies of the 80s?!?! PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES!

BillyParker

Probably cause you're more of a dude than I am. I'm a sucker for all the gooey stuff.

JRod5417

Absolutely! That movie always gets me. RIP Mr. Hughes.

schadenfreudian mensch

I guess there won't be a sequel to "Breakfast Club" now. Bummer.

matty

I grew up not far from where most of his movies were based in Chicago.

Dead Himmler

You deserve some sort of a prize.

chuzzlewit

or maybe a gift. like a christmas gift. you know what I got for christmas? oh, it was a banner fucking year at the old Bender family. i got a carton of cigarettes. the old man grabbed me and said, "Hey, smoke up Johnny." alright? so go home and cry to your daddy. don't cry here, okay?

Jen S

xoxo

matty

Just saying.

militza

bad movies aside, he did direct a lot of films that were really good!

Spirit of 76

Actually, according to IMDb, he only directed eight movies. It was as a writer that he really found success.

militza

well, excuuuuse me. Mr. IMDb!

inoyourider

Bummer.

emilydickinson

Hughes final wish was to be tied to the roof of a Family Truckster and transported to Wally World.

Sad he died so young, he was a very funny man.

"Love's a bitch, Duck. Love's a bitch. "