BV Entertainment Newswire Dec 12: The Entertainment World Responds To The Death of Richard Pryor

Remembering Richard Pryor

Legendary comedic icon Richard Pryor has had an indelible impact on the entertainment world since first taking the stage at local nightclubs in his hometown of Peoria, IL in the 1950s.Born Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor on December 1, 1940, the multiple award winning funnyman is credited for pushing the comedic envelope. He was pronounced dead of a cardiac arrest on Dec. 10. He is survived by his wife Jennifer Lee Pryor and six children; Richard Pryor, Jr., Elizabeth Stordeur, Rain Kindlin, Kelsey Pryor, Steven Pryor, Franklin Mason and three grandchildren.

"That Richard Pryor has died is a source of sadness for all of us who knew and loved him," said the comedian's former publicist Steve Jaffe, "But he was a major influence on the vast world of comedy. He attacked the heart of humor the way his heart ultimately attacked him, may he rest in peace. He will never be forgotten for his commitment to the revolution of humor. He was totally honest about his flaws. That alone makes him unique." Jaffe told Black Voices that he worked with Pryor on 1976's ' Silver Streak.'

"I wish that every new and young comedian would understand what Richard was about and not confuse his genius with his language usage," comic legend Bill Cosby offered via a spokesperson. Cosby --whom Pryor starred with in 1974's comical farce ' Uptown Saturday Night' and 1978's episodic ' California Suite'-is reportedly the comedian that Pryor most admired in his early years. Mary Bond Davis worked with Pryor on his autobiographical film, 'JoJo Dancer Your Life Is Calling.' "All of my work was improvised on the set with the great Richard," she shared with Black Voices. "That was a blast," she added, "the thing that I appreciated the most about Richard was that when I shot 'Jo Jo...' it was the first time that I ever saw almost as many black people behind the camera as I saw in front. I have several wonderful memories. In my scene there was the beautiful Broadway diva, Virginia Capers, one of my favorite jazz divas, Carmen McRae, all shot by the great director of photography, John Alonzo. All are gone. I knew I was in the presence of more than one genius." Bond Davis recently departed the Tony Award winning Broadway musical 'Hairspray,' where she originated the role of Motormouth Maybelle. "My heart goes out to Rain and the rest of the family."

"Pryor started it all," director/comedian Keenen Ivory Wayans told the "New York Times". "He made the blueprint for the progressive thinking of black comedians, unlocking that irreverent style." His brother, Damon Wayans, who contributed to the liner notes of the multi-disc compilation 'And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968-1992),' said: "By telling the truth about his pain, Richard held up a mirror to society, and we were able to see our fears, our beauty, our prejudice, our wretchedness, our hopes, our dreams - all of our contradictions. He is truly the greatest comedian of our time."

On this past weekend's 'Saturday Night Live,' comediennes Tina Fey and Amy Poehler paid homage to Pryor during the 'Weekend Update' segment - re-airing a controversial sketch between Chevy Chase and Pryor playing word association exchanging racial epitaphs. "Richard will never be equaled for his depth of exploration into character during a period of war, civil rights issues, drugs, and political corruption," Chase said. "He was never a "joke-teller"; he was a performer of the caliber of Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Lenny Bruce. There was one, and only one, stand-up comic who covered this period; the '60s, and these experiences for me, with his jazz like approach. Richard is the consummate comic jazz artist, and no one will ever touch his genius."

Multiple Grammy Award winning music producer Quincy Jones referred to Pryor as the "Charlie Parker of comedy" over the weekend. Jones worked with the comic on several occasions, professionally, most notably 1978's big screen adaptation of ' The Wiz.' Pryor -who played the title character in the Sidney Lumet-directed spectacle-- was "a master of telling the truth that influenced every comedian that came after him," Jones said in a statement. "The legacy that he leaves will forever be with us."

"Richard was great even in the days when we both were starting out together at The Apollo in New York in the '60's," offered legendary balladeer Lou Rawls. "We had a great run and I'm sure we'll be getting together at another place down the road to kick it again."

Eddie Murphy, who patterned his career after Pryor and subsequently worked with him in the period film ' Harlem Nights,' said he was simply "better than anyone who ever picked up a microphone." Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Neil Simon called Pryor "the most brilliant comic in America." The 'Odd Couple' director wrote the 1978 comedy ' California Suite,' in which Pryor also starred alongside Jane Fonda and Alan Alda.

"It was Richard Pryor's genius and unique ability to vividly capture the voices and reflect the souls of the black underclass that initially drew me to his work," former "New York Times" editor and literary critic Mel Watkins told Black Voices. "I became aware of his early comic routines and albums in the late sixties and seventies. I was immediately fascinated. To me, he was saying as much or more about the condition and true feelings of the Real people who inhabited America's ghettoes than some of our finest novelists and writers. He broached subjects that have been considered taboo and gave voice to a perspective that had been ignored. And he did it with brilliance and humor!" Watkins authored the 1999 comedy anthology 'On the Real Side: A History of African American Humor,' which featured a bare-chested Pryor on the cover with the American flag as a backdrop. "As I said in a personal note inscribed to him in a copy of [the book] that was sent to him last year, he was the inspiration for my exploring the meaning of relevance of Black comedy. I will always be grateful for that." Watkins recently authored 'Stepin Fetchit: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry.'

Pryor, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the mid-1980s, has been an ambassador in the fight for a cure. "Mr. Pryor struggled with the devastating effects of multiple sclerosis for many years and he will be remembered for his courage and dignity," said Joyce Nelson, President and CEO of the National MS Society. "The Society was honored to work directly with Richard Pryor and is pleased to currently have his daughter Rain as an ambassador for the MS cause." "Richard was one of a kind," legendary comic Don Rickles said to Black Voices. "He'll be remembered for his great talent and for his strength in remaining courageous during his trying illness. He'll be missed."

Academy Award winning actress and comedienne Whoopi Goldberg said: "When Richard spoke about life, it was funny to everybody. While his comedy was centralized in what was then called 'the black experience,' white people, Spanish people, Hungarians even, were laughing, because at his core, and at the core of his comedy, the human experience lives."

"When I was a kid nothing gave me more pleasure than waiting for my parents to leave the house so I could listen to a Richard Pryor album," Chris Rock said. "I didn't know it then, but by listening to those albums, I was preparing myself for what I'm doing today. If I hadn't listened to Richard as a kid, I'm sure I'd still be a comedian - the only difference is I'd really suck. Richard Pryor is the greatest comedian of all time."

Like Pryor, Rock has hosted the Academy Awards, won multiple Grammy Awards for his comedy albums and scored Emmy Awards for television shows in their namesake. "We all mourn the passing of Richard but thank God everything he ever did is captured on tape," irreverent comedian/activist Dick Gregory told Black Voices on Sunday, before presenting a lecture at Yale University. "It's just nice to know that I was on the planet the same time he was but also I considered him as a friend and he considered me as a friend." Gregory, considered a comic legend in his own right, appeared on the 1991 TV special 'A Party For Richard Pryor,' alongside Arsenio Hall, James Brown, Danny Glover, Ray Charles and Lilly Tomlin. He said he's going to dedicate a special portion of the lecture to the memory of Pryor.

A spokesperson for the family said funeral services would be private with a memorial service by invitation only. In lieu of flowers, contributions are being accepted though Pryor's recently established Encino, CA-based charity Pryor's Planet.

"He was an innovator, a trailblazer," director Spike Lee told CNN. "It's a great loss."