Richard Pryor: Dec 1, 1940 - Dec 10, 2005

[Itchygomba69 0]

One of my Favorite Comedians of all time Richard Pryor passed away this morning at the age of 65

 

[Sgt. Phaserman 0]

He was a funny, funny man. He will definately be missed in the world of Comedy.

[sea trooper 0]

I heard that a few minutes ago. I was very shocked and saddened. He was a great man

[Kor37 9]

Pryor was great in his prime. His movies with Gene Wilder are among my favorites. Its too bad his drug use messed him up so bad.

[Mike 5]

Funny comedian.. I always enjoyed his humor..Sad that he messed himself up so badly with his drug use..

[Yillara Skye 1]

[Angela 1]

That is sad, I loved his humour, he was one of the few people to transcend race and culture.

[Itchygomba69 0]

What was your Favorite Movie he did, I liked the toy, it had some god humor in it, but by far the Best was Stir Crazy!

 

I'm not including his stand up films, those are a class of its own

[Angela 1]

I loved Brewsters millions, but then i saw it as a kid, what a way to go through money huh.

[Kor37 9]

What was your Favorite Movie he did, I liked the toy, it had some god humor in it, but by far the Best was Stir Crazy!

 

I'm not including his stand up films, those are a class of its own

 

 

My favorite was "Silver Streak" with Gene Wilder.I've watched that movie countless times.

[APW 0]

That's so sad.

This guy was a comedic genius.

I'm just glad he accepted Christ in the years prior to his death.

[Takara_Soong 4]

From Zap2It.com:

Richard Pryor, the brilliant, sometimes self-destructive comedian who influenced a generation of comics with his live-wire standup, has died.

 

Pryor, who had been fighting multiple sclerosis for nearly 20 years, suffered a heart attack Saturday (Dec. 10) at his Los Angeles home and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. He was 65.

 

He has some 40 movies to his credit, but Pryor blazed his trail primarily through his live performances, where he was among the first African-American comics to reach a wide -- that is to say, white -- audience by veering away from "safe" material and offering observations about race and politics. And he had a deep well of experience on which to draw.

 

Born in Peoria, Ill., in 1940, he grew up in a whorehouse run by his grandmother. He was a working comic by the time he earned 20 and first tasted some crossover success performing in New York in the early '60s.

 

He also had a long history of drug and alcohol use, which he wasn't shy about mining in his act. Most infamously, he set himself on fire in 1980 after several days of freebasing cocaine. He immortalized the incident in his 1982 concert film, "Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip."

 

Pryor was diagnosed with MS in 1986 and eventually was forced to use a motorized scooter to get around. He continued to write and perform occasionally, however.

 

His movie credits include "Sliver Streak," "Stir Crazy," "Superman III" and the autobiographical "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling," which he also wrote and directed. He also co-wrote the script for the comedy classic "Blazing Saddles" with Mel Brooks and others. His $4 million paycheck for "Superman III" made him the highest-paid black performer in show business at the time.

 

Pryor's comedy albums earned him several Grammy Awards, and he was honored with the Kennedy Center's inaugural Mark Twain Prize for American humor. "I feel great about accepting this prize," he wrote at the time. "I feel great to be honored on a par with a great white man -- now that's funny!"

 

Pryor, who was married six times, is survived by five children: daughters Rain, Elizabeth and Renee and sons Steven and Richard.

My condelences to his family and friends. He was a ground breaking comedian and will be missed.

Edited December 11, 2005 by Takara_Soong