| Richard Pryor |
 |
| Richard Pryor, February 1986 |
| Birth name |
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III |
| Born |
December 1, 1940(1940-12-01)
Peoria, Illinois, United States |
| Died |
December 10, 2005 (aged 65)
Encino, California, United States |
| Medium |
Stand-up, film, television |
| Years active |
1963–1999 |
| Genres |
Satire, Observational comedy, Black comedy, Improvisational comedy, Character comedy |
| Subject(s) |
Racism, race relations, United States politics, African-American culture, human sexuality, self-deprecation, everyday life, recreational drug use |
| Influences |
Lenny Bruce,1 Jack Benny, Jonathan Winters, Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx, Paul Mooney |
| Influenced |
George Carlin,2Martin Lawrence,3George Lopez,4 Dave Chappelle,5 Chris Rock,6 Eddie Murphy,6 Whoopi Goldberg,7Bill Hicks,8 Robin Williams,7-Lewis Black9Colin Quinn,10Bernie Mac,6 Louis C.K.,11-Patton Oswalt12Artie Lange,13and Jim Norton14 |
| Spouse |
-Patricia Price (1960–1961)
-Shelley R. Bonus (1968–1969)
-Deborah McGuire (1977–1978)
-Jennifer Lee (1981–1982)
-Flynn Belaine (1986–1987)
-Flynn Belaine (1990–1991)
-Jennifer Lee (2001–2005) |
| Notable works and roles |
That Nigger's Crazy
Bicentennial Nigger
Himself in Richard Pryor: Live in Concert and Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip
Zeke Brown in Blue Collar
Grover T. Muldoon in Silver Streak
Harry Monroe in Stir Crazy
Gus Gorman in Superman III
|
| Website |
RichardPryor.com |
| Emmy Awards |
Writing in Variety or Music
1974 Lily |
| Grammy Awards |
Best Comedy Album
1975 That Nigger's Crazy
1976 ...Is It Something I Said?
1977 Bicentennial Nigger
1982 Rev. Du Rite
1983 Live on the Sunset Strip |
| American Comedy Awards |
| Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy 1993 |
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful, vulgar, and profane language and racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style. He is widely regarded as one of the most important stand-up comedians: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor "The Picasso of our profession";15 Bob Newhart has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years."16
His body of work includes the concert movies and recordings Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971), That Nigger's Crazy (1974), ...Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial Nigger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982), and Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983). He also starred in numerous films as an actor such as Superman III (1983) but was usually in comedies such as Silver Streak (1976), but occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader's film Blue Collar (1978). He collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder.
Pryor won an Emmy Award in 1973, and five Grammy Awards in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982. In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award.
Biography
Early life and career
Born in Peoria, Illinois, Pryor grew up in his grandmother's brothel, where his mother of Puerto Rican heritage, Gertrude Leona, practiced prostitution. After his mother abandoned him when he was ten, he was raised primarily by his grandmother Marie Carter,17 a violent woman who would beat him for any of his eccentricities.18 According to his webpage, Pryor was "one of four children raised in his grandmother's brothel, Richard experienced rape at the age of six (by a teenaged neighbor) and molestation by a Catholic priest during catechism."
He was expelled from school at the age of 14. His first professional performance was playing drums at a night club. Pryor served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960, but spent virtually the entire stint in an army prison. According to a 1999 profile about Pryor in The New Yorker, Pryor was incarcerated for an incident that occurred while stationed in Germany. Annoyed that a white soldier was a bit too amused at the racially charged sections of Douglas Sirk's movie Imitation of Life, Pryor and some other black soldiers beat and stabbed the white soldier, though not fatally.19 According to Live on Sunset Boulevard, when he was nineteen, he worked at a Mafia-owned nightclub as the MC. On hearing that they would not pay a stripper, he attempted to hold up the owners with a cap pistol. The owners thought he was joking, and were greatly amused.
During this time, Pryor's girlfriend gave birth to a girl named Renee. Years later, however, he found out that she was not his child. In 1960, he married Patricia Price and they had one child together, Richard Jr. (his first child and first son). They divorced in 1961.
In 1963, Pryor moved to New York City and began performing regularly in clubs alongside performers such as Bob Dylan and Woody Allen. On one of his first nights, he opened for singer and pianist Nina Simone at New York's Village Gate. Simone recalls Pryor's bout of performance anxiety: It was these performances that gave him his nickname Ba-loot.
| “ |
He shook like he had malaria, he was so nervous. I couldn't bear to watch him shiver, so I put my arms around him there in the dark and rocked him like a baby until he calmed down. The next night was the same, and the next, and I rocked him each time.20 |
” |
Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor began as a middlebrow comic, with material far less controversial than what was to come. Soon, he began appearing regularly on television variety shows, such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. His popularity led to success as a comic in Las Vegas. The first five tracks on the 2005 compilation CD Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974), recorded in 1966 and 1967, capture Pryor in this era.
In September 1967, Pryor had what he called in his autobiography Pryor Convictions an "epiphany" when he walked onto the stage at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas (with Dean Martin in the audience), looked at the sold-out crowd, exclaimed over the microphone "What the fuck am I doing here!?", and walked off the stage. Afterward, Pryor began working at least mild profanity into his act, including nigger. His first comedy recording, the eponymous 1968 debut release on the Dove/Reprise label, captures this particular period, tracking the evolution of Pryor's routine. Around this time, his parents died—his mother in 1967 and his father in 1968.
In 1967, his second child and first daughter, Elizabeth Ann, was born to his girlfriend Maxine Anderson. Later that year, he married Shelly Bonus. In 1969, his third child and second daughter, Rain Pryor, was born. Pryor and Bonus divorced later that year.
Mainstream success
In 1969, Pryor moved to Berkeley, California, where he immersed himself in the counterculture and rubbed elbows with the likes of Huey P. Newton and Ishmael Reed. He signed with the comedy-oriented independent record label Laff Records in 1970 and recorded his second album in 1971, Craps (After Hours). In 1973, the relatively unknown comedian appeared in the documentary Wattstax, where he riffed on the tragic-comic absurdities of race relations in Watts and the nation. Not long afterward, Pryor sought a deal with a larger label, and after some time, signed with Stax Records. His third, breakthrough album, That Nigger's Crazy, was released in 1974 and, Laff, who claimed ownership of Pryor's recording rights, almost succeeded in getting an injunction to prevent the album from being sold. Negotiations led to Pryor's release from his Laff contract. In return for this concession, Laff was enabled to release previously unissued material, recorded between 1968 and 1973, at will.
During the legal battle, Stax briefly closed its doors. At this time, Pryor returned to Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, which re-released That Nigger's Crazy, immediately after ...Is It Something I Said?, his first album with his new label. With every successful album Pryor recorded for Warner (or later, his concert films and his 1980 freebasing accident), Laff would quickly publish an album of older material to capitalize on Pryor's growing fame—a practice they continued until 1983. The covers of Laff albums tied in thematically with Pryor movies, such as The Wizard of Comedy for his appearance in The Wiz, Are You Serious? for Silver Streak, and Insane for Stir Crazy.
In the 1970s, Pryor wrote for such television shows as Sanford and Son, The Flip Wilson Show and a Lily Tomlin special, for which he shared an Emmy Award. During this period, Pryor tried to break into mainstream television. He was a guest host on the first season of Saturday Night Live. Richard took long time girlfriend, actress-talk show host Kathrine McKee (sister of Lonette McKee) with him to New York, and she made a brief guest appearance with Pryor on SNL. He participated in a "racist word association" skit21 with Chevy Chase.
The Richard Pryor Show premiered on NBC in 1977, but was canceled after only four shows. Television audiences didn't respond to the show's controversial subject matter, and Pryor was unwilling to alter his material for network censors. During the short-lived series, he portrayed the first African-American President of the United States, spoofed the Star Wars cantina, took on gun violence, and in another skit, used costumes and visual distortion to appear nude.
In 1974, Pryor was arrested for income tax evasion and served 10 days in jail. He married actress Deborah McGuire in 1977, but they divorced in 1978. He soon began dating Jennifer Lee and they married in 1981. They divorced the following year.
In 1979, at the height of his success, Pryor visited Africa. Upon returning to the United States, Pryor swore he would never use the word "nigger" in his stand-up comedy routine again.22 (However, his favorite epithet, "motherfucker", remains a term of endearment on his official website.)
In the 1970s and 1980s, Pryor appeared in several popular films, including Lady Sings the Blues; The Mack; Uptown Saturday Night; Silver Streak; Which Way Is Up?; Car Wash; Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings; Greased Lightning; Blue Collar & Bustin' Loose. In 1982, Pryor co-starred with Jackie Gleason in one of the "Great One"'s last projects, The Toy.
In 1983, Pryor signed a five-year contract with Columbia Pictures for $40,000,000.23 This resulted in the gentrification of Pryor's onscreen persona and softer, more formulaic films like Superman III, (which earned Pryor $4,000,000), Brewster's Millions, Stir Crazy, Moving, and See No Evil, Hear No Evil. The only film project from this period that recalled his rough roots was Pryor's semi-autobiographic debut as a writer-director, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, which was not a major success. Though he made four films with Gene Wilder, the two comic actors were never as close as many thought, according to Wilder's autobiography.
Pryor co-wrote Blazing Saddles, directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder. Pryor was to play the lead role of Bart, but the film's production studio would not insure him, and Mel Brooks chose Cleavon Little instead. Before his infamous 1980 freebasing accident, Pryor was about to start filming Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I, but was replaced at the last minute by Gregory Hines. Pryor was also originally considered for the role of Billy Ray Valentine on Trading Places (1983), before Eddie Murphy won the part.
Despite a reputation for profanity, Pryor briefly hosted a children's show on CBS in 1984 called Pryor's Place. Like Sesame Street, Pryor's Place featured a cast of puppets, hanging out and having fun in a surprisingly friendly inner-city environment along with several children and characters portrayed by Pryor himself. However, Pryor's Place frequently dealt with more sobering issues than Sesame Street. It was canceled shortly after its debut, despite the efforts of famed puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft and a theme song by Ray Parker Jr of Ghostbusters fame.
Pryor co-hosted the Academy Awards twice, and was nominated for an Emmy for a guest role on the television series, Chicago Hope.
Pryor developed a reputation for being difficult and unprofessional on film sets, and for making unreasonable demands. In his autobiography Kiss Me Like a Stranger, co-star Gene Wilder says that Pryor was frequently late to the set during filming of Stir Crazy, and that he demanded, among other things, a helicopter to fly him to and from set. Pryor was also accused of using allegations of on-set racism to force the hand of film producers into giving him more money. Also from Wilder's book:
| “ |
One day during our lunch hour in the last week of filming, the craft service man handed out slices of watermelon to each of us. Richard and the whole camera crew and I sat together in a big sound studio, talking and joking. Some members of the crew used a piece of watermelon as a Frisbee, and tossed it back and forth to each other. One piece of watermelon landed at Richard's feet. He got up and went home. Filming stopped. The next day...Richard announced that he knew very well what the significance of watermelon was... He said that he was quitting show business and would not return to this film. The day after that, Richard walked in, all smiles... I wasn't privy to all the negotiations that went on between Columbia and Richard's lawyers, but the camera operator who had thrown that errant piece of watermelon had been fired. I assume now that Richard was using drugs during "Stir Crazy". |
” |
Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986.24
Harlem Nights is a 1989 comedy-drama crime film starring Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. The film also featured Michael Lerner, Redd Foxx, Della Reese and Murphy's brother Charlie Murphy. Murphy and Pryor star as a father-and-son team running a nightclub in late-1930s Harlem, New York while contending with gangsters and corrupt police officials. Murphy wrote, and directed the film (Murphy was nominated for Worst Director at the 10th Golden Raspberry Awards, his first and only directorial effort; the film won Worst Screenplay) and served as an executive producer. He had always wanted to direct and star in a period piece, as well as work with Pryor, whom he considered his greatest influence in stand-up comedy. Harlem Nights was a critical failure, but a financial success, grossing 3 1/2 times the amount it cost to make it (worldwide) and is well known for starring three generations of black comedians (Foxx, Pryor, and Murphy).
The freebasing incident
On June 9, 1980, during the making of the film Bustin' Loose, Pryor set himself on fire after freebasing cocaine while drinking 151-proof rum. He ran down Parthenia St. from his Northridge, California, home until subdued by police. He was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for burns covering more than half of his body. Pryor spent six weeks in recovery at the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital. His daughter, Rain Pryor has stated that Pryor poured high-proof rum over his body and set himself on fire in a bout of drug-induced psychosis.25
Pryor incorporated a description of the incident into his "final" comedy show Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip in 1982. He joked that the event was caused by dunking a cookie into a glass of low-fat and pasteurized milk, causing an explosion. At the end of the bit, he poked fun at people who told jokes about it by waving a lit match and saying, "What's this? It's Richard Pryor running down the street."
After his "final performance", Pryor did not stay away from stand-up comedy long. In 1983 he filmed and released a new concert film and accompanying album, Richard Pryor: Here and Now, which he directed himself. He then wrote and directed a fictionalized account of his life, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling.
In 1984, his fourth child and second son, Steven, was born to his girlfriend Flynn Belaine. Pryor married Belaine in October 1986. They divorced in July 1987. Before their divorce was final, Belaine conceived Kelsey Pryor. Meanwhile, another of Pryor's girlfriends, Geraldine Mason, gave birth to Franklin Mason, his fifth child and third son, in April 1987. Six months later in October of 1987, Belaine gave birth to Kelsey Pryor, Richard's sixth child and third daughter.
Marriages
Pryor was married seven times to five different women:
- Patricia Price (1960–1961, divorced) with one child named Richard Pryor, Jr.
- Shelly Bonus (1967–1969, divorced) with one child named Rain Pryor
- Deborah McGuire (September 22, 1977 – 1979, divorced)
- Jennifer Lee (August 1981 – October 1982, divorced)
- Flynn Belaine (October 1986 – July 1987, divorced) with one child
- Flynn Belaine (1 April 1990 – July 1991, divorced) with one child
- Jennifer Lee (June 29, 2001 – December 10, 2005, his death)
His marriages were characterized by accusations of domestic violence and spousal abuse, except for his relationship with Belaine. Most of these allegations were connected to Pryor's drug use. The exception was Patricia Price, who was married to Pryor before his rise to stardom. During his relationship with Pam Grier, Pryor proposed to Deborah McGuire (1977).
He had six children: Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Rain, Steven, Franklin and Kelsey.clarification needed
Later life
In 1998, Pryor won the first Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. According to Former Kennedy Center President Lawrence J. Wilker,
| “ |
Richard Pryor was selected as the first recipient of the new Mark Twain Prize because as a stand-up comic, writer, and actor, he struck a chord, and a nerve, with America, forcing it to look at large social questions of race and the more tragicomic aspects of the human condition. Though uncompromising in his wit, Pryor, like Twain, projects a generosity of spirit that unites us. They were both trenchant social critics who spoke the truth, however outrageous. |
” |
In 2000, Rhino Records remastered all of Pryor's Reprise and WB albums for inclusion in the box set ...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968–1992).
In 2001, he remarried Jennifer Lee, who also had become his manager.
In 2002 a television documentary depicted Pryor's life and career. Broadcast in the UK as part of the Channel 4 series Kings of Black Comedy, it was produced, directed and narrated by David Upshal. It featured rare clips from Pryor's 1960s stand-up appearances and movies such as Silver Streak, Blue Collar, Stir Crazy, and Richard Pryor Live In Concert. Contributors included Whoopi Goldberg, Dave Chappelle, Lily Tomlin, George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Ice-T, and Paul Mooney. The show tracked down the two cops who rescued Pryor from his "freebasing incident", former managers and even school friends from Pryor's home town of Peoria, Illinois. In the US the show went out as part of the Heroes Of Black Comedy series on Comedy Central, narrated by Don Cheadle.
In 2002, Pryor and his wife and manager, Jennifer Lee Pryor, won legal rights to all the Laff material, which amounted to almost 40 hours of reel-to-reel analog tape. After going through the tapes and getting Richard's blessing, Jennifer Lee Pryor gave access to the tapes to Rhino Records in 2004. These tapes, including the entire Craps album, form the basis of the double-CD release Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966–1974).
A 2003 television documentary, Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!! consisted of archival footage of Pryor's performances and testimonials from fellow comedians, including Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, and Denis Leary, on Pryor's influence on comedy.
In 2004, Pryor was voted #1 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. In a 2005 British poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, Pryor was voted the 10th greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
In his later years, Richard Pryor used a power operated vehicle/scooter due to multiple sclerosis (M.S., which he said stood for "More Shit"). In late 2004, his sister said he had lost his voice. However, on January 9, 2005, Pryor's wife, Jennifer Lee, rebutted this statement in a post on Pryor's official website,26 citing Richard as saying: "Sick of hearing this shit about me not talking... not true... good days, bad days... but I still am a talkin' motherfucker!"
Pryor was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.27 The animal rights organization PETA gives out an award in Pryor's name to people who have done outstanding work to alleviate animal suffering. Pryor was active in animal rights and was deeply concerned about the plight of elephants in circuses and zoos.
Death
On December 10, 2005, Pryor suffered a cardiac arrest in Encino, California. He was taken to a local hospital after his wife's attempts to resuscitate him failed. He was pronounced dead at 7:58 AM PST. His widow Jennifer was quoted as saying, "At the end, there was a smile on his face."23 He was cremated and his ashes were given to friends and family.
Remembrance and legacy
On December 19, 2005, BET aired a Pryor special. It included commentary from fellow comedians, and insight into his upbringing. A feature film about Pryor is currently in development. It was written by Pryor and his wife. Marlon Wayans is in line to portray Pryor after Eddie Murphy dropped out due to a dispute with the studio. Bill Condon is set to direct.
An image of Pryor can be seen on the Rage Against The Machine music video for their Soul Sonic Force cover of "Renegades of Funk".
In a scene in the movie Superbad, the character Seth is seen wearing a Richard Pryor t-shirt.
There is a street just west of the downtown Peoria area named in his honor.
On March 1, 2008, fellow comedian George Carlin performed his final HBO special. An image of Pryor can be seen in the background throughout his set.
Discography
Albums
- Richard Pryor (Dove/Reprise, 1968)
- Craps (After Hours) (Laff Records, 1971, reissued 1993 by Loose Cannon/Island)
- That Nigger's Crazy, (Partee/Stax, 1974, reissued 1975 by Reprise)
- ...Is It Something I Said?, (Reprise, 1975, reissued 1991 on CD by Warner Archives)
- L.A. Jail, (Tiger Lily, 1976)
- Bicentennial Nigger, (Reprise, 1976)
- Are You Serious???, (Laff, 1977)
- Who Me? I'm Not Him, (Laff, 1977)
- Black Ben The Blacksmith, (Laff, 1978)
- The title track was first issued as "Prison Play" on Richard Pryor, in spite of Warner Bros.' ownership of that particular master recording.
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- The Wizard Of Comedy, (Laff, 1978)
- Wanted: Live in Concert (2-LP set), (Warner Bros. Records, 1978)
- Outrageous, (Laff, 1979)
- Insane, (Laff, 1980)
- Holy Smoke!, (Laff, 1980)
- Rev. Du Rite, (Laff, 1981)
- Live On The Sunset Strip (Warner Bros. Records, 1982)
- Richard Pryor Live! (picture disc), (Phoenix/Audiofidelity, 1982)
- Supernigger, (Laff. 1983)
- Here And Now, (Warner Bros. Records, 1983)
|
Compilations
Filmography
References
- ^ Staff writer (2004-05-21). "Pryor: I Owe It All to Lenny Bruce". Contactmusic.com. http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/pryor.-i-owe-it-all-to-lenny-bruce. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ "George Carlin". Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2004-10-31. No. 4, season 1.
- ^ Allis, Tim (1993-04-12). "Court Jester". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20110142,00.html. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ Lopez, George; Keteyian, Armen (2004). Why You Crying?: My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love, and Laughter. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0743259947.
- ^ "Dave Chappelle". Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2006-02-12. No. 10, season 12.
- ^ a b c Reid, Shaheem (December 12, 2005). "Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, Eddie Murphy Call Pryor The Real King Of Comedy — 'Without Richard, There Would Be No Me,' Bernie Mac Says". MTV. Accessed January 11, 2010.
- ^ a b Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$@!!, 2003, Comedy Central
- ^ Fade to Black - Interviews - Bill Hicks
- ^ Lewis Black | The A.V. Club
- ^ Colin Quinn
- ^ "Interview with Louis C.K.". One Night Stand. HBO. 2005. http://www.hbo.com/onenightstand/interviews/louis_ck.html. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20071013165258/http://aspecialthing.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1465
- ^ Kirschling, Gregory (2008-11-07). "Artie Lange: 'F--- It, I'll Write a Book'". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20239025_3,00.html. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ "Interview with Jim Norton". One Night Stand. HBO. 2005. http://www.hbo.com/onenightstand/interviews/jim_norton.html. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ Morton, Bruce (December 28, 2005). "Those We Lost". CNN. Accessed January 11, 2010.
- ^ American Masters . Bob Newhart PBS
- ^ Richard Pryor website
- ^ [1]
- ^ Als, Hilton (September 13, 1999). "A Pryor Love". The New Yorker.
- ^ Simone, Nina; Cleary, Stephen (1991). I Put a Spell on You — The Autobiography of Nina Simone. Pantheon Books (New York City, New York). pp. 70–71. ISBN 9780679410683
- ^ http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75ginterview.phtml
- ^ The word 'Nigger' - Richard Pryor & George Carlin YouTube
- ^ a b Staff writer (December 10, 2005). "Comedian Richard Pryor Dead at 65 — Groundbreaking Black U.S. Comedian Richard Pryor Has Died after Almost 20 Years with Multiple Sclerosis". BBC News. Accessed January 11, 2010.
- ^ http://www.richardpryor.com/0/4113/0/1240/
- ^ Interview with Rain Pryor, November 6, 2006, edition of People, page 76.
- ^ Richard Pryor
- ^dead link"Richard Pryor to Get Posthumous Grammy Award". VOA News (Voice of America). January 11, 2006. http://voanews.com/english/archive/2006-01/Richard-Pryor-to-Get-Posthumous-Grammy-Award.cfm. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
External links
- Obituaries
- "Comedian Richard Pryor Dead at 65." BBC News. December 10, 2005. BBC. [2].
- "Comedian Richard Pryor Dies at 65." cnn.com. December 11, 2005. CNN. [3].
- Feeney, Mark. "Richard Pryor, Whose Profane, Incisive Humor Revolutionized American Comedy, Dies at 65." Boston.com News. December 11, 2005. The Boston Globe. [4].
- Schudel, Matt. "With Humor and Anger On Race Issues, Comic Inspired a Generation." washingtonpost.com. December 11, 2005. The Washington Post. [5].
- Watkins, Mel. "Richard Pryor, Iconoclastic Comedian, Dies at 65." NYTimes.com. December 11, 2005. The New York Times. [6].
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Richard Pryor discography |
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