Director John Hughes dies at age 59

Hollywood has lost another great director.

John Hughes, director of The Breakfast club and writer of Ferris Bueller's Day Off died earlier today at age 59 from an apparent heart attack.

Hughes was well known for creating his own unique spin on kid and teenage genre movies. He addressed the often awkward journey of teenagers, now and forever labeled as "teen angst," with nostalgic humor and a surprising respect. Instead of the typical after school special hot topics of drugs and peer pressure, Hughes focused on the everyday situations teens face like acceptance, class, and the various tribulations of navigating through the high school social hierarchy. Starting with his first teen movie Sixteen Candles, Hughes re-engineered the genre set a new standard of family filmmaking.

Twitter is abuzz with testimonies from celebrities and fans alike. On CelebrityTweet.com Hollywood notables chimed in and shared their thoughts on his passing:

Diablo Cody: Truly saddened by passing of John Hughes. Was an idol to this magna-zoom-dweebie.

Ben Stiller: John Hughes...made so many classics. GREAT film maker. Planes Trains and Automobiles an underrated gem. influenced comedy in a huge way.

Kevin Smith: The flag's at half-mast in Shermer, Illinois: John Hughes, the man who spoke for geeks way before anyone else did.

Fred Durst: I'm so sad about John Hughes. My sincere regards to his family and friends. His films and writing have been a huge (cont) http://tl.gd/bvj3

Chris Jericho: RIP-John Hughes Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is one of my top ten favorite movies of all time...

Marlee Matlin: So sad to hear that John Hughes passed. Home Alone, Breakfast Club. Was a fan. It's been a tough year in Hollywood.

Larry King: Movie director John Hughes has died. What a shock! He was 59. What's your favorite John Hughes movie?

In Atlanta, Criminal Records has posted several tweets about Hughes' passing and his influence including a message informing followers of an upcoming memorial event:

@CriminalRecords: next Tuesday (Aug. 11), the W hotel at Perimeter is showing "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" for free, poolside: http://tr.im/vNSg

If you're a fan of the music from Hughes' films (and who isn't), imeem.com has a created a "RIP John Hughes" where you can hear 39 songs featured in the movies. Sign up is free.

In memoriam, here's a fan clip from youtube with one of his film's most popular songs, "Don't you forget about me" by Simple Minds.