John Hughes: 1950 - 2009

If you were a child of the 70's onwards, you knew, and almost certainly loved, several John Hughes movies. For me it was Home Alone, which came out when I was 9, and which I pretty much wore out a video tape of when I was 11. That was one of the many, many movies that Hughes wrote and produced, but he was perhaps best loved as the writer/directtor of 80's classics like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Weird Science. If you were a teenager at some time in the last quarter of a century then this is a sad day.

On the morning of August 6th 2009, while out for a morning walk, John Hughes died of a sudden heart attack. He hadn't directed for 18 years, but was wtill active as a writer (under the pseudonym Edmond Dantes). His tragically early death robs cinema of a man whose films spoke to generation after generation of kids and teenagers. The good news is that those films will continue to be seen and enjoyed for years to come. Thanks John.

RIP

Tributes
Friends and colleagues of Hughes have been releasing statements in the wake of his death. Here's what they've had to say.
Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
"I am truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old friend John Hughes. He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my heart goes out to his family."

Macaulay Culkin (Uncle Buck, Home Alone)
"I was a fan of both his work and a fan of him as a person, The world has lost not only a quintessential filmmaker, whose influence will be felt for generations, but a great and decent man."

Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club)
"I was stunned and incredibly sad to hear about the death of John Hughes. He was and will always be such an important part of my life. He will be missed – by me and by everyone that he has touched. My heart and all my thoughts are with his family now."