Groundbreaking comedian Richard Pryor dies
CTV.ca News Staff
Trailblazing comedian Richard Pryor, whose unflinching commentary on race relations and his own shortcomings transformed the entertainment industry, died after a heart attack Saturday. He was 65.
"He was my treasure," said his wife Jennifer Pryor, whom he remarried in 2001, in a telephone interview with CNN.
"His comedy is unparalleled. They say that you are not a comic unless you imitate Richard Pryor ... He was able to turn his pain into comedy."
died of a heart attack at a hospital in the San Fernando Valley early Saturday.
From Illinois to Hollywood
Born December 1, 1940 in Peoria, Ill. to a construction worker, Pryor grew up in a brothel his grandmother ran and where his mother worked.
to the biography on his official website, Pryor was raped by a teenaged neighbour at the age of six and molested by a Catholic priest during catechism.
He sought refuge in the "black seats" of his local movie theatre, where his ambition to become a star was first born.
Expelled from school for a petty offence at age 14, Pryor found work as a janitor at a local strip club, then as a shoe-shiner, meat packer, truck driver and billiard hall attendant.
These menial jobs helped Pryor further gain the perspective of the black underclass in 1950s America that he later translated into routines that resonated with his audience.
After dropping out of high school, Pryor joined the army and performed in amateur shows while enlisted.
The military stint ended in 1960 after Pryor had an altercation with a fellow G.I.
Upon his discharge, Pryor played the piano and sang at his first cabaret gig in a hometown club.
Quickly realizing that audiences preferred his masterful storytelling to his singing, Pryor began working as a professional comic in clubs throughout the Midwest.
Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor went to New York in 1963 and gained recognition for his club work as a stand-up.
It was not long before Pryor gained a following for his expletive-laced commentary on modern life.
By the mid-1960s, Pryor was appearing in Las Vegas clubs and on the television shows of Ed Sullivan, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson.
But even after his career took off, Pryor didn't tone down his acerbic storytelling.
In his 1977 NBC television series "The Richard Pryor Show," he threatened to cancel his contract with the network. NBC's censors objected to a skit in which Pryor wore nothing but a flesh-coloured loincloth to suggest he was emasculated.
'He was an innovator'
Known for his unflinching examination of race relations, Pryor shattered barriers and influenced a generation of African-American stand-up artists such as Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Damon Wayans.
"For me, Richard was a giant, he was an innovator, he was a trailblazer, and the way he used social commentary in his humour opened up a universe to other comics to follow in his footsteps," famed filmmaker Spike Lee said in a phone interview with CNN.
Indeed, commentary on racial inequality often provided fodder for Pryor's act.
He once marvelled "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."
Observers often noted that Pryor was at his best when he turned to his own life for material.
In 1980, Pryor nearly died when he suffered severe burns over 50 per cent of his body while freebasing cocaine at his home.
admitted addict at the time, Pryor spent nearly two months recovering from the burns and much longer getting over his drug and alcohol dependence.
In 1986, Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the central nervous system.
"To be diagnosed was the hardest thing because I didn't know what they were talking about," he once 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."
And in the early 1990s, Pryor underwent coronary bypass surgery after suffering at least one heart attack.
But that didn't keep him from performing.
In 1992 he could still be seen live at the renowned Comedy Store in West Hollywood, making jokes about his afflictions and his wheelchair.
And in 1998, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington presented Pryor with the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for humour.
"It is nice to be regarded on par with a great white man - now that's funny! Seriously, though, two things people throughout history have had in common are hatred and humor. I am proud that, like Mark Twain, I have been able to use humour to lessen people's hatred!" Pryor said in a statement.
Pryor, who also won Grammy Awards for his comedy albums , appeared in nearly 50 movies in all, including "Stir Crazy," "Silver Streak," and "Which Way Is Up?"
Pryor, who had been married seven times to five different women, leaves seven children.
he was so great. RIP Richard. 
at least now you don't have to suffer anymore.
CTV.ca News Staff
Trailblazing comedian Richard Pryor, whose unflinching commentary on race relations and his own shortcomings transformed the entertainment industry, died after a heart attack Saturday. He was 65.
"He was my treasure," said his wife Jennifer Pryor, whom he remarried in 2001, in a telephone interview with CNN.
"His comedy is unparalleled. They say that you are not a comic unless you imitate Richard Pryor ... He was able to turn his pain into comedy."
died of a heart attack at a hospital in the San Fernando Valley early Saturday.
From Illinois to Hollywood
Born December 1, 1940 in Peoria, Ill. to a construction worker, Pryor grew up in a brothel his grandmother ran and where his mother worked.
to the biography on his official website, Pryor was raped by a teenaged neighbour at the age of six and molested by a Catholic priest during catechism.
He sought refuge in the "black seats" of his local movie theatre, where his ambition to become a star was first born.
Expelled from school for a petty offence at age 14, Pryor found work as a janitor at a local strip club, then as a shoe-shiner, meat packer, truck driver and billiard hall attendant.
These menial jobs helped Pryor further gain the perspective of the black underclass in 1950s America that he later translated into routines that resonated with his audience.
After dropping out of high school, Pryor joined the army and performed in amateur shows while enlisted.
The military stint ended in 1960 after Pryor had an altercation with a fellow G.I.
Upon his discharge, Pryor played the piano and sang at his first cabaret gig in a hometown club.
Quickly realizing that audiences preferred his masterful storytelling to his singing, Pryor began working as a professional comic in clubs throughout the Midwest.
Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor went to New York in 1963 and gained recognition for his club work as a stand-up.
It was not long before Pryor gained a following for his expletive-laced commentary on modern life.
By the mid-1960s, Pryor was appearing in Las Vegas clubs and on the television shows of Ed Sullivan, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson.
But even after his career took off, Pryor didn't tone down his acerbic storytelling.
In his 1977 NBC television series "The Richard Pryor Show," he threatened to cancel his contract with the network. NBC's censors objected to a skit in which Pryor wore nothing but a flesh-coloured loincloth to suggest he was emasculated.
'He was an innovator'
Known for his unflinching examination of race relations, Pryor shattered barriers and influenced a generation of African-American stand-up artists such as Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Damon Wayans.
"For me, Richard was a giant, he was an innovator, he was a trailblazer, and the way he used social commentary in his humour opened up a universe to other comics to follow in his footsteps," famed filmmaker Spike Lee said in a phone interview with CNN.
Indeed, commentary on racial inequality often provided fodder for Pryor's act.
He once marvelled "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."
Observers often noted that Pryor was at his best when he turned to his own life for material.
In 1980, Pryor nearly died when he suffered severe burns over 50 per cent of his body while freebasing cocaine at his home.
admitted addict at the time, Pryor spent nearly two months recovering from the burns and much longer getting over his drug and alcohol dependence.
In 1986, Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the central nervous system.
"To be diagnosed was the hardest thing because I didn't know what they were talking about," he once 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."
And in the early 1990s, Pryor underwent coronary bypass surgery after suffering at least one heart attack.
But that didn't keep him from performing.
In 1992 he could still be seen live at the renowned Comedy Store in West Hollywood, making jokes about his afflictions and his wheelchair.
And in 1998, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington presented Pryor with the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for humour.
"It is nice to be regarded on par with a great white man - now that's funny! Seriously, though, two things people throughout history have had in common are hatred and humor. I am proud that, like Mark Twain, I have been able to use humour to lessen people's hatred!" Pryor said in a statement.
Pryor, who also won Grammy Awards for his comedy albums , appeared in nearly 50 movies in all, including "Stir Crazy," "Silver Streak," and "Which Way Is Up?"
Pryor, who had been married seven times to five different women, leaves seven children.
he was so great. RIP Richard. at least now you don't have to suffer anymore. 
it was a classic.
"favourite" Are you British, biff? 
I caught that -- that had to be one of the best skits ever on SNL, and I wish they would've played it in its entirety. 
