Hughes was taking a morning walk during a trip to visit family in Manhattan when he died of a sudden heart attack.

Hughes was a prolific writer, producer and director. He was born in Michigan in 1950 and started his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago.

His directorial projects include generation-defining teen classics such as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He also directed Weird Science, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, She’s Having A Baby, Uncle Buck and Curly Sue.

His writing credits include National Lampoon’s Vacation, Mr. Mom, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind Of Wonderful, and Home Alone.

For the last decade, he had run a farm in northern Illinois and spent time with his family, also supporting independent arts. He is survived by Nancy, his wife of 39 years, sons John and James and four grandchildren.

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