Director John Hughes Dead at 59

Needless to say, like Bob Cesca, I'm pretty bummed that filmmaker John Hughes has passed away today, apparently from a heart attack.

John Wilden Hughes, Jr., born on Feb. 18, 1950 in Michigan, began as an advertising copywriter in Chicago.

In the last decade, he stepped back from the legacy he created to enjoy time with his family, maintain a functioning farm in northern Illinois and support independent arts. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy, two sons, John and James, and four grandchildren.

Hughes's movies really do read like a list of "children of the 80's" classics: Breakfast Club, Planes, Trains And Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Weird Science, and of course Ferris Bueller's Day Off. He wrote a lot of screenplays for some of my favorite films too: The Great Outdoors, Dutch, the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, and yeah, the guy even wrote Home Alone.

Hell, if you're anywhere close to my age, you still quote these films with your friends...and you still watch them whenever you catch them on TV on Saturday afternoon.

Have a peaceful journey, John Hughes.