It is a sad day for lovers of 80’s cinema (and really, who isn’t?) John Hughes, the filmmmaker behind such classics as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink, died of a heart attack today, at age 59.
Of course, Hughes worked his magic well past the Brat Pack age, on hits such as Beethoven and Curly Sue. But as a child of the 80’s, I and millions of others will always remember him as an icon of an era—as indelible as neon colors, New Kids on the Block, and scrunchies.
So RIP, John Hughes. Samantha Baker’s parents may have forgotten her birthday, but we’ll never forget you.