Posted on 12/10/2005 3:24:07 PM PST by summer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Richard Pryor, the caustic yet perceptive actor-comedian who lived dangerously close to the edge both on stage and off, has died, his ex-wife said Saturday. He was 65.
Pryor died of a heart attack at his home in the San Fernando Valley sometime late Friday or early Saturday, Flyn Pryor said. He had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system.
The comedian 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...
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."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I'm surprised he died of a heart attack, and not of MS. Also, that he lived as long as he did, age 65, in light of his early days on the edge.
FYI.
One of the funniest men who ever lived.
RIP, Mr. Pryor.
Hard to believe he was 65, really. Great comedian in his haydays.
I agree.
You never know...
Thanks for your nice post.
Damn, I just saw him in Carwash the other night..
"Judge and jury, eh?"
A tree is known by it's fruit.
"Judge and jury, eh?"
Would you prefer "I'm OK, Your OK"?
Rest in peace Mr Pryor. Prayers for friends and family.
"That N**ger's Crazy!"
Richard, RIP, you were a truly funny man and an icon of American humor for so many.
I just love it when ill-informed people make dumb statements so early in a thread.
Prepare for the richly deserved beating you're going to get.
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