Posted Thu Aug 6, 2009 at 02:30 PM PDT by Mike Attebery
A spokeswoman for John Hughes says the king of '80s teen comedy has died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 59.
The writer, producer, and director of such films as 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off,' 'Sixteen Candles,' and 'Plane's, Trains & Automobiles' -- many of which frequently took place in the fictional Shermer, Illinois -- Hughes eventually gave up directing in the early-90s, while continuing to pen numerous children's films such as 'Home Alone,' as well as other stories under the pen name Edmond Dantès (an homage to 'The Count of Monte Cristo').
Though he had been elusive in film circles for years, he will be greatly missed by film fans everywhere.
For a thorough, if now dated examination of Hughes' career and subsequent disappearing act, check out Mike Attebery's essay on John Hughes from 2004. Sadly, it looks like John Hughes has indeed left the building.
This YouTube tribute captures the man's career perfectly.
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