John Hughes Dies at 59 of Heart Attack

American writer-director John Hughes who directed movies like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink and produced popular child comedy Home Alone, has died after suffering a heart attack. Hughes was 59.

Photo: John Hughes Dies at 59 of Heart Attack

The Brat Pack director collapsed while taking a morning walk on the streets of Manhattan on Thursday, according to his spokeswoman, Rediff reports.

Matthew Broderick, who starred in Hughes' 1986 hit "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," said he was "truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old friend. ... He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my heart goes out to his family," The New York Daily News reports.

Devin Ratray, best known for playing Buzz McCallister in the Home Alone films, said he remained close to Hughes over the years.

“He changed my life forever,' Ratray said. 'Nineteen years later, people from all over the world contact me telling me how much Home Alone meant to them, their families, and their children,” Daily Mail reports.

Hughes worked with Molly Ringwald on both Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, as well as 1986's Pretty in Pink, which he wrote and produced.

He also made a star out of Matthew Broderick..

Later he worked with John Candy on Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, as well as writing the family-friendly films National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Beethoven.

Over the past decade the director turned his back on Hollywood to become a farmer in the midwest.

He leaves a wife, Nancy, two sons and four grandchildren, Sky News reports.