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The Tragic Death Of Richard Pryor, The Audacious Comedian Known For His Profane Yet Groundbreaking Insights
Wikimedia CommonsKnown for living on the edge, Richard Pryor joked about his traumatic struggles until his tragic death.
Richard Pryor is a legendary name in the comedy world. Often referred to as one of the best stand-up comedians of all time, Pryor received many prestigious awards and honors for his work, including the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998.
Known for his explicit yet groundbreaking insights, Pryor boldly tackled topics like racism, police brutality, substance abuse, and a terrifying near-death experience he had in 1980 while he was freebasing cocaine. His ability to face down his traumatic struggles with a joke and his unforgettable stage presence inspired countless other iconic stars like Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, David Letterman, Arsenio Hall, and Dave Chappelle.
Richard Pryor’s incredible story came to a tragic end with his death at the age of 65 on Dec. 10, 2005 in Los Angeles. He had suffered a fatal heart attack after enduring a years-long battle with multiple sclerosis.
Richard Pryor’s Life Before Comedy
Wikimedia CommonsRichard Pryor, pictured circa 1969.
Richard Pryor was born on Dec. 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois. He had a tumultuous start to life, and his childhood was anything but cheerful.
He was raised by his grandmother, Marie Carter, in the brothel where she worked as a madam. His mother, Gertrude, was a sex worker. Pryor’s mom abandoned him when he was just 10 years old, leaving him to Carter.
Pryor was one of four children who grew up at the brothel. Carter was violent toward the young boy, physically abusing him for any behavior she believed to be out of line. But the abuse didn’t stop there.
At just six years old, Pryor was raped by a teenage neighbor. As a child, he was also molested by a Catholic priest. Amidst this horrific trauma, Pryor found comfort in movies as a way to distract from his own life.
After he turned 12, Pryor got his first introduction into the world of performance. He was cast in a community production of Rumpelstiltskin, and he also began to perform in some local talent shows.
He was expelled from school at the age of 14, so he started picking up odd jobs. In 1958, Pryor began a short stint in the U.S. Army. However, it seems that most of his time in the military was spent in an Army prison.
Pryor was arrested while he was stationed in Germany, following a violent incident with a white soldier. Reportedly, the white soldier was very amused by racially charged moments in the film Imitation of Life, so Pryor and some other Black soldiers beat and stabbed the white soldier.
The soldier survived, but Pryor was still incarcerated for the beating. He left the Army in 1960. After returning to his hometown, Pryor got a gig singing and playing piano at a local club. While his singing performance was often lackluster, he realized that the audience found his jokes funny.
A Rising Comedy Career — Amidst Struggles With Substance Abuse
Wikimedia CommonsRichard Pryor, pictured with Lily Tomlin and Alan Alda in 1973.
Richard Pryor spent some time performing at comedy clubs in the Midwest before moving to New York City in 1963. He then began regularly performing stand-up comedy, all while rubbing shoulders with numerous celebrities.
Pryor started his career with significantly less controversial acts than what he would develop later in his career, and his early technique initially seemed to work. While in New York, he began to regularly appear on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show. He also started to build up popularity in Las Vegas.
In Pryor’s autobiography, Pryor Convictions, he said that he had an epiphany about where to take his career in 1967. While performing at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, he walked on stage and, looking out at the sold-out crowd, he said, “What the f**k am I doing here?” He then walked off the stage. From that point onward, Pryor worked more profanity into his acts.
He was already regularly using cocaine by the time he had the “epiphany” — as he had been introduced to the drug by a sex worker — but he soon began to indulge in the drug more often. Pryor said he eventually became a “junkie.”
In 1969, Pryor moved to Berkeley, California, and quickly became involved in the ongoing counterculture movement. He also met numerous Black activists, like Black Panther Party cofounder Huey P. Newton.
By the 1970s, Pryor’s career had really started to take off. He found enormous success as a comedy writer, winning an Emmy for his work on the Lily Tomlin television special Lily (1973), as well as a Writers Guild Award for his work on the screenplay for Blazing Saddles (1974).
He also began to appear in more films, including Silver Streak (1976) and The Wiz (1978). In the meantime, Pryor continued to perfect his stand-up comedy performances, recording some of his shows for comedy albums.
Wikimedia CommonsRichard Pryor and Lou Gossett Jr. backstage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Pryor saw a lot of success from his album That N***er’s Crazy, which was recorded in 1974. He ended up winning a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording for that album (and he would go on to win five Grammys total).
In 1975, Pryor became the first Black host of Saturday Night Live, hosting once during the show’s first season. In 1977, he was given his own show, The Richard Pryor Show, but his controversial comedy style and subject matter led to it only lasting four episodes. Also in 1977, Richard Pryor suffered his first nonfatal heart attack (his third heart attack in 2005 led to his death).
Despite the warning sign, Pryor didn’t slow down. He became the first Black actor to earn $1 million for a single film after starring in 1980’s Stir Crazy.
Chillingly, Pryor almost died that same year, while freebasing cocaine in a shocking incident that led to him apparently pouring 151-proof rum on his shirt, lighting it on fire, and ultimately suffering severe burns on more than 50 percent of his body. True to form, after he survived the horrifying incident, he incorporated it into some of his comedy routines.
How Richard Pryor’s Worsening Health Led To His Tragic Death
Wikimedia CommonsSome feared that Richard Pryor would die young, but he ultimately perished at age 65 after suffering a heart attack.
Richard Pryor continued to make headlines for his work in the 1980s, appearing in various movies like Superman III (1983), Brewster’s Millions (1985), and See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989).
A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 1986 forced him to slow down somewhat, but he continued to find humor in his difficulties. Pryor joked that MS actually stood for “More Sh*t” and that his diagnosis was God’s way of telling him to “sniff the flowers rather than the coke.”
However, Pryor never shed his wild reputation, and he continued to drink and take numerous pills after his diagnosis. He suffered a second nonfatal heart attack in 1990, likely brought on by heavy drinking and smoking.
By the mid-1990s, Pryor’s MS required him to use a motorized scooter. He appeared on the scooter during his final movie, 1997’s Lost Highway.
Though his health continued to decline, he still made a few public appearances, most famously to accept the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998. Pryor remarked, “I feel great about accepting this prize. 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 humor to lessen people’s hatred!”
On Dec. 10, 2005, Richard Pryor died from his third heart attack at the age of 65 in Los Angeles. His widow later recalled, “He enjoyed life right up until the end,” and she added, “At the end, there was a smile on his face.”
After Richard Pryor’s death, he was widely praised as both hilarious and groundbreaking. One famous joke from him, a demonstration of how Black people must show they’re nonthreatening and compliant after being pulled over by the police — “I. Am Reaching. Into. My. Pocket. For. My License.” — has been credited with inspiring many similar jokes from other stars.
Jerry Seinfeld described Richard Pryor as “the Picasso of our profession.” And Dave Chappelle said, “You know those, like, evolution charts of man? He was the dude walking upright. Richard was the highest evolution of comedy.”
After reading about the life and death of Richard Pryor, learn about the tragic demise of actor and comedian Stephen Stucker. Then, go inside the heartbreaking deaths of 11 beloved SNL cast members.
The post The Tragic Death Of Richard Pryor, The Audacious Comedian Known For His Profane Yet Groundbreaking Insights appeared first on All That's Interesting.
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