'Breakfast Club,' 'Sixteen Candles' director John Hughes dies

John Hughes, the director and writer of 1980s teen movie classics "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "The Breakfast Club," has died.

Hughes suffered a heart attack while taking a walk Thursday morning (Aug. 6) in New York, TMZ reports. He was 59.

Hughes' other directing credits include "Sixteen Candles," "Weird Science" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." He also wrote "Pretty in Pink," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "National Lampoon's Vacation" and "Home Alone."

I was squarely in the target audience for Hughes' unbelievably productive period in the mid-'80s, where in the span of four years he wrote and directed "Sixteen Candles," "The Breakfast Club," "Weird Science," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Planes, Tranes and Automobiles," in addition to writing and producing "Pretty in Pink" and "Some Kind of Wonderful." "The Breakfast Club" was one of the first R-rated movies I saw in a theater, and I can recite long sections of "Ferris Bueller" along with the film.

Hughes sort of dropped out of Hollywood in the late 1990s after working on a number of movies pitched at kids, including the "Home Alone" franchise (although as recently as last year, he was credited with the story -- under the assumed name Edmond Dantes -- for "Drillbit Taylor"). And yes, his work wasn't the most consistent -- for every "Ferris Bueller" that still holds up today, there's a "Baby's Day Out."

But if you're between the ages of about 28 and 40, chances are a little bit of your teenage self is pretty sad at this news. 

Here are some clips from some of Hughes' best, starting with Claire's first encounter with Farmer Ted in "Sixteen Candles."

Next up, "The Breakfast Club" gets high.

And finally, Ferris Bueller plans his day off. 

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Related:

From the LA Times: John Hughes' imprint remains
John Hughes teens: Where they are now

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