John Hughes dies of heart attack

London (ANI): American filmmaker and writer John Hughes, whose masterpieces include Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, has died. He was 59. Hughes, who made some of the most famous comedies in the 1980s and 90s, passed away in New York due to a heart attack, his spokeswoman said.

He scripted successful movies like Pretty in Pink and Home Alone. According to the BBC, Hughes had stopped directing films after Curly Sue in 1991 and taken to farming. In 1985, he made The Breakfast Club starring Emilio Estevez and Mollie Ringwald. The film became a cult classic.

The BBC quoted Hughes as speaking to the Chicago Tribune in 1985: "Many filmmakers portray teenagers as immoral and ignorant, with pursuits that are pretty base. They seem to think that teenagers aren't very bright. But I haven't found that to be the case. I listen to kids. I respect them. I don't discount anything they have to say just because they''re only 16 years old."

Hughes delivered his biggest hit in 1990 with Home Alone, a film which he had not directed but only written and produced. With the movie"s success the child actor of the film, 10 year-old Macaulay Culkin became a star overnight. Speaking on Hughes" death Culkin said: "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."

Hughes was born in Michigan in 1950. He was at first a journalist and advertising copywriter before he forayed into script writing and film direction.