John Hughes, the American film director, producer and writer, has died after suffering from a heart while visiting family members in New York. Hughes died during a walk on Thursday according to a spokesman.

Born in Lansing, Michigan in February 1950, Hughes grew up in Illinois. He began his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago before moving on to become a writer for the National Lampoon Magazine.

In the 1980s he moved into film, writing several screenplays later becoming a successful director. He was responsible for some of the most successful comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s, including National Lampoon's Vacation, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Home Alone and the sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

He leaves behind his wife of 39 years, Nancy, and two sons, John III and James.

Source: Xinhuanet