Richard Pryor has passed away

Mecca · 12-10-2005, 03:37 PM

According to the news wire Richard Pryor has passed away at the age of 65. I'd just like to say Richard Pryor is one of the fathers of modern standup comedy and he'll be truly missed.

**Mr. Kotter** · 12-10-2005, 03:38 PM

Damn, RIP Richard.

Halfcan · 12-10-2005, 03:41 PM

Bummer I really liked him-he overcame a lot to get where he was. My Uncle died yesterday-the family is pretty upset. Life goes by way too fast.

Sure-Oz · 12-10-2005, 03:43 PM

damn

BIG_DADDY · 12-10-2005, 03:43 PM

Funny man. His standup was classic.

MichaelH · 12-10-2005, 03:44 PM

He was one of the first comics I saw growing up. A very funny man. RIP

**QuikSsurfer** · 12-10-2005, 03:44 PM

R.I.P.
Really enjoyed watching some of his movies as a kid.

Brock · 12-10-2005, 03:53 PM

Later, Mudbone.

**chefsos** · 12-10-2005, 03:55 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121000740.html

Pathbreaking Comedian Richard Pryor Dies

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
The Associated Press
Saturday, December 10, 2005; 4:41 PM

LOS ANGELES -- Richard Pryor, the caustic yet perceptive actor-comedian who lived dangerously close to the edge both on stage and off, died Saturday. He was 65.

Pryor died shortly before 8 a.m. of a heart attack after being taken to a hospital from his home in the San Fernando Valley, said his business manager, Karen Finch. He had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system.

"We loved him and will miss you," his ex-wife, Flynn Pryor, said from her Florida home.

Pryor was regarded early in his career as one of the most foul-mouthed comics in the business, but he gained a wide following for his expletive-filled but universal and frequently personal insights into modern life and race relations.

His audacious style influenced an array of stand-up artists, including Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Damon Wayans, as well as Robin Williams, David Letterman and others.

A series of hit comedies in the '70s and '80s, as well as filmed versions of his concert performances, helped make him Pryor one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood. He was one of the first black performers to have enough leverage to cut his own Hollywood deals. In 1983, he signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures.

His films included "Stir Crazy," "Silver Streak," "Which Way Is Up?" and "Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip."

Throughout his career, Pryor focused on racial inequality, once joking as the host of the 1977 Academy Awards that Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier were the only black members of the Academy.

Pryor once marveled "that I live in racist America and I'm uneducated, yet a lot of people love me and like what I do, and I can make a living from it. You can't do much better than that."

In 1980, he nearly lost his life when he suffered severe burns over 50 percent of his body while freebasing cocaine at his home. An admitted "junkie" at the time, Pryor spent six weeks recovering from the burns and much longer from drug and alcohol dependence.

He battled multiple sclerosis throughout the '90s.

In his last movie, the 1991 bomb "Another You," Pryor's poor health was clearly evident. Pryor made a comeback attempt the following year, returning to standup comedy in clubs and on television while looking thin and frail, and with noticeable speech and movement difficulties.

In 1995, he played an embittered multiple sclerosis patient in an episode of the television series "Chicago Hope." The role earned him an Emmy nomination as best guest actor in a drama series.

"To be diagnosed was the hardest thing because I didn't know what they were talking about," he said. "And the doctor said `Don't worry, in three months you'll know.'

"So I went about my business and then, one day, it jumped me. I couldn't get up. ... Your muscles trick you; they did me."

While Pryor's material sounds modest when compared with some of today's raunchier comedians, it was startling material when first introduced. He never apologized for it.

In his 1977 NBC television series "The Richard Pryor Show," he threatened to cancel his contract with the network after NBC's censors objected to a skit in which Pryor appeared naked save for a flesh-colored loincloth to suggest he was emasculated.

In his later years Pryor mellowed considerably, and his film roles looked more like easy paychecks than artistic endeavors. His robust work gave way to torpid efforts like "Harlem Nights," "Brewster's Millions" and "Hear No Evil, See No Evil."

Pryor was married six times. He and Flynn Pryor had a son, Steven. Previous children included another son, Richard, and daughters Elizabeth, Rain and Renee.

Daughter Rain became an actress. In an interview in 2005, she told the Philadelphia Inquirer that her father always "put his life right out there for you to look at. I took that approach because I saw how well audiences respond to it. I try to make you laugh at life."

Crush · 12-10-2005, 04:07 PM

R.I.P. Richard

**Nzoner** · 12-10-2005, 04:08 PM

I loved his bit on bit on divorce,"bitch,you ain't told near a joke and you want HALF!!"

RIP Richard

Deberg_1990 · 12-10-2005, 04:10 PM

Wow, sad day...RIP Richard. Every living stand up comic today owes a debt to Pryor. His stand up act was classic.

12-10-2005, 04:12 PM

I think my favorite movie with Pryor was "The Toy". That was a hilarious movie. The old mans name was Master Bates. The pirannahs. That kid owned him. Good stuff. RIP

beavis · 12-10-2005, 04:20 PM

That sucks. One of the funniest bastards I've ever seen.

Ebolapox · 12-10-2005, 04:59 PM

damn... that's all I can say--damn

I've always been a big pryor fan--I grew up listening to pryor in the car with my dad when we'd go run my family's errands--to this day, mudbone sticks in my head despite not hearing it in a long time... to a great innovator, one of the top 3 comedians of alltime, RIP richard... you are truly on the mt. rushmore of comedians

-EB-

12-10-2005, 03:37 PM
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $2487050	Richard Pryor has passed away According to the news wire Richard Pryor has passed away at the age of 65. I'd just like to say Richard Pryor is one of the fathers of modern standup comedy and he'll be truly missed.
Posts: 111,020

12-10-2005, 03:38 PM	#2
Mr. Kotter The Dude Abides Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Dakota Country Casino cash: $5775285	Damn, RIP Richard. __________________ "I've always said I worry about legacy and winning rings more than making money at this moment...We see what's going on around the league, but at the same time, I'll never do anything that's going to hurt us from keeping the great players around me.”
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12-10-2005, 03:41 PM	#3
Halfcan In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $7327995	Bummer I really liked him-he overcame a lot to get where he was. My Uncle died yesterday-the family is pretty upset. Life goes by way too fast.
Posts: 43,200

12-10-2005, 03:43 PM	#5
BIG_DADDY THE RED MENACE Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Texas Casino cash: $5018410	Funny man. His standup was classic. __________________ The diabolical genius of Marxism-Socialism is that it provides the emotional and intellectual road map for autocrats to persuade millions of people to support their own enslavement to government. ~Mark Levin April 15, 2019
Posts: 32,387

12-10-2005, 03:44 PM	#6
MichaelH Go Chiefs! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Gastonia, North Carolina Casino cash: $9302006	He was one of the first comics I saw growing up. A very funny man. RIP
Posts: 3,187

12-10-2005, 03:44 PM	#7
QuikSsurfer Got swag? Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Madison, MS Casino cash: $10008287	R.I.P. Really enjoyed watching some of his movies as a kid. __________________
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12-10-2005, 03:53 PM	#8
Brock Say hello to my little friend Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Larryville Casino cash: $9598422	Later, Mudbone. Last edited by Brock; 12-10-2005 at 05:05 PM..
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12-10-2005, 03:55 PM	#9
chefsos Fifty eight sixty two... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Felton, DE Casino cash: $8497676	http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121000740.html Pathbreaking Comedian Richard Pryor Dies By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ The Associated Press Saturday, December 10, 2005; 4:41 PM LOS ANGELES -- Richard Pryor, the caustic yet perceptive actor-comedian who lived dangerously close to the edge both on stage and off, died Saturday. He was 65. Pryor died shortly before 8 a.m. of a heart attack after being taken to a hospital from his home in the San Fernando Valley, said his business manager, Karen Finch. He had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system. "We loved him and will miss you," his ex-wife, Flynn Pryor, said from her Florida home. Pryor was regarded early in his career as one of the most foul-mouthed comics in the business, but he gained a wide following for his expletive-filled but universal and frequently personal insights into modern life and race relations. His audacious style influenced an array of stand-up artists, including Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Damon Wayans, as well as Robin Williams, David Letterman and others. A series of hit comedies in the '70s and '80s, as well as filmed versions of his concert performances, helped make him Pryor one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood. He was one of the first black performers to have enough leverage to cut his own Hollywood deals. In 1983, he signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures. His films included "Stir Crazy," "Silver Streak," "Which Way Is Up?" and "Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip." Throughout his career, Pryor focused on racial inequality, once joking as the host of the 1977 Academy Awards that Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier were the only black members of the Academy. Pryor once marveled "that I live in racist America and I'm uneducated, yet a lot of people love me and like what I do, and I can make a living from it. You can't do much better than that." In 1980, he nearly lost his life when he suffered severe burns over 50 percent of his body while freebasing cocaine at his home. An admitted "junkie" at the time, Pryor spent six weeks recovering from the burns and much longer from drug and alcohol dependence. He battled multiple sclerosis throughout the '90s. In his last movie, the 1991 bomb "Another You," Pryor's poor health was clearly evident. Pryor made a comeback attempt the following year, returning to standup comedy in clubs and on television while looking thin and frail, and with noticeable speech and movement difficulties. In 1995, he played an embittered multiple sclerosis patient in an episode of the television series "Chicago Hope." The role earned him an Emmy nomination as best guest actor in a drama series. "To be diagnosed was the hardest thing because I didn't know what they were talking about," he said. "And the doctor said `Don't worry, in three months you'll know.' "So I went about my business and then, one day, it jumped me. I couldn't get up. ... Your muscles trick you; they did me." While Pryor's material sounds modest when compared with some of today's raunchier comedians, it was startling material when first introduced. He never apologized for it. In his 1977 NBC television series "The Richard Pryor Show," he threatened to cancel his contract with the network after NBC's censors objected to a skit in which Pryor appeared naked save for a flesh-colored loincloth to suggest he was emasculated. In his later years Pryor mellowed considerably, and his film roles looked more like easy paychecks than artistic endeavors. His robust work gave way to torpid efforts like "Harlem Nights," "Brewster's Millions" and "Hear No Evil, See No Evil." Pryor was married six times. He and Flynn Pryor had a son, Steven. Previous children included another son, Richard, and daughters Elizabeth, Rain and Renee. Daughter Rain became an actress. In an interview in 2005, she told the Philadelphia Inquirer that her father always "put his life right out there for you to look at. I took that approach because I saw how well audiences respond to it. I try to make you laugh at life."
Posts: 9,449

12-10-2005, 04:07 PM	#10
Crush Amateur Poster Join Date: Mar 2004 Casino cash: $5147091	R.I.P. Richard
Posts: 15,298

12-10-2005, 04:08 PM	#11
Nzoner a haw haw haw Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: MIZZOU Casino cash: $26365802	I loved his bit on bit on divorce,"bitch,you ain't told near a joke and you want HALF!!" RIP Richard __________________ *Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.*
Posts: 27,111

12-10-2005, 04:10 PM	#12
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3884454	Wow, sad day...RIP Richard. Every living stand up comic today owes a debt to Pryor. His stand up act was classic. __________________ Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning: Matt once made a very nice play in Seattle where he spun away from a pass rusher and hit Bowe off his back foot for a first down. One of the best plays Matt has ever made.
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12-10-2005, 04:12 PM	#13
pak1983 Guest Casino cash: $	I think my favorite movie with Pryor was "The Toy". That was a hilarious movie. The old mans name was Master Bates. The pirannahs. That kid owned him. Good stuff. RIP
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12-10-2005, 04:20 PM	#14
beavis Free Born Man of the USA Join Date: May 2003 Casino cash: $9954900	That sucks. One of the funniest bastards I've ever seen.
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12-10-2005, 04:59 PM	#15
Ebolapox remember, remember Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: como Casino cash: $1959903	damn... that's all I can say--damn I've always been a big pryor fan--I grew up listening to pryor in the car with my dad when we'd go run my family's errands--to this day, mudbone sticks in my head despite not hearing it in a long time... to a great innovator, one of the top 3 comedians of alltime, RIP richard... you are truly on the mt. rushmore of comedians -EB-
Posts: 26,432