Barry Michael Cooper, the visionary screenwriter behind the iconic films New Jack City, Sugar Hill, and Above the Rim, has died at the age of 66. His passing was confirmed by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, but no cause of death has been made public, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Born and raised in Harlem, New York, Cooper’s upbringing greatly influenced his work, often highlighting the complexities of urban life. Before transitioning to screenwriting, he gained recognition and praise as an investigative journalist at The Village Voice. His 1987 piece “Kids Killing Kids: New Jack City Eats Its Young” inspired the creation of New Jack City, a film that became a cultural milestone and grossed nearly $50 million at the domestic box office, Variety reported.

New Jack City marked Cooper’s feature screenwriting debut. Directed by Mario Van Peebles, the film starred Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Chris Rock, and Allen Payne, exploring the crack epidemic through a gripping narrative. The success of this film paved the way for more projects, including the completion of Cooper’s “Harlem trilogy.”

In 1994, Cooper released Sugar Hill and Above the Rim. The former reunited him with Snipes in a story about a drug dealer seeking redemption, while the latter, starring Tupac Shakur and Duane Martin, explores the aspirations and struggles of a young basketball player.

He later directed the web series “Blood on the Wall$” in 2005 and contributed as a writer and producer for Spike Lee’s Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It” in 2017. He is credited with coining the term “New Jack Swing” in a 1987 article for The Village Voice, describing a groundbreaking musical fusion of R&B and rap.

Matthew Cooper, his son, honored his father on social media, calling him a “quiet legend” and an “author of compassion.” Tributes have poured in from peers, including writer Nelson George, who credited Cooper with helping to define pop culture in the 1980s and 1990s.

Barry Michael Cooper is survived by his son, Matthew.