John Singleton's family said on Monday that he died after being taken off life support, about two weeks after the director suffered a major stroke.
"Our hearts are heavier today ... as we mourn this tremendous loss," said the president of the Directors Guild of America, Thomas Schlamme, reacting to the news.
Boyz n the Hood - which described the gang-ridden neighbourhood of Singleton's childhood and which he directed aged 22 - won him an Oscar nod as best director, the first African American to achieve the distinction.
Director John Singleton touches his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Source: AP
Mr 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.
It starred Cuba Gooding Jr as a rebellious teen whose single mother sends him to live with his father in South Central Los Angeles.
His other films included Poetic Justice, Rosewood and Shaft.
Mr Singleton later directed movies such as action film 2 Fast 2 Furious and historical drama Rosewood.
He was the creator and executive producer of current cable TV series "Snowfall" about the start of the cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles.
