Teen Movie Director John Hughes Passes Away

Writer-director John Hughes died Thursday at the age of 59.

Predominant during the 80's and early 90's, he inspired a generation of impressionable teenagers with youth-orientated movies such as "Home Alone," "The Breakfast Club," and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

The director died of a heart attack while taking a morning walk in Manhattan, where he was visiting family.

Throughout his career, the movies that made him famous were primarily aimed towards teenagers, dealing with issues of romances such as "Sixteen Candles" and "Pretty in Pink," or societal rebellion in "Breakfast Club."

He also scripted the popular Chris Columbus film, "Home Alone," which awarded 8-year old Macaulay Culkin instant fame. His films also made early stars out of John Cusack ("Sixteen Candles"), Steve Carell ("Curly Sue"), and Matthew Broderick ("Ferris Bueller's Day Off")

When he reached middle age, Hughes withdrew from public life. His last directed film was 1991's "Curly Sue" and throughout the decade, he only wrote a handful of films.

"He made a better connection with young people than anyone in Hollywood had ever made before or since," said Ben Stein, who starred in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" as reported by Reuters. "It's incredibly sad. He was a wonderful man, a genius, a poet."