Richard Pryor 1940-2005

What you'll no doubt read in all the tributes to Richard Pryor is that he was the greatest stand-up of all time. He certainly blazed a trail for a generation of truth telling stand-ups and guys like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle will certainly acknowledge their debt to him.

I enjoyed Richard Pryor as a stand-up, but I first encountered him as an actor in the early days of video recorders. Some of the earliest videos I rented must have been Stir Crazy and a film I still insist was hilarious Superman III.

Pryor was one of the first guys to put his dark personal life at the forefront of his stand-up and his 1982 Live on the Sunset Strip will always go down as the definite film of a stand-up concert.

His death comes as no great shock as he had been ill with MS for 20 years and had deteriorated rapidly in the last few years. His website was adorned with the phrase "I Ain't Dead Yet, Muther Fucka!"

From The Observer. Even when he was in poor health with MS, a degenerative disease of the nervous system, comedy remained a lifeline. During one performance in the early Nineties, he asked: 'Is there a doctor in the audience?' All he got was nervous laughter so he added: 'No, I'm serious. I want to know if there's a doctor here.'

A hand finally went up. 'Doctor,' Pryor said, 'I need to know one thing. What the fuck is MS?'

Here's some tributes from the likes of Steve Martin and Bob Newhart.

This is his wife talking about him.

Here's Lenny Henry's tribute.

On this CNN page, you can see video interviews with him and his career in photographs.

Here's his obituary from the BBC.

Here's some of the things fellow comedians have said about him, taken from his website.

"Richard Pryor is an alchemist who can turn the darkest pain into the deepest comedy. [He] doesn't go for the jugular — he goes straight for the aorta."
-- Robin Williams

"To fully appreciate the power of Richard Pryor as a stand-up comedian, you had to follow him at the Comedy Store. I did once, and I'm lucky to be alive."
-- David Letterman

"Richard Pryor is truly one of the great artists of our time. His comic genius and influence remain unparalleled."
-- Eddie Murphy

"Richard Pryor is the greatest stand-up who ever lived. He opened the biggest door and turned the light on in the room."
-- Roseanne

"Richard Pryor is the King. He always will be."
-- Bernie Mac

"Richard Pryor is the greatest comedian of all time."
-- Chris Rock

"You changed the world... for everyone in it."
-- Mos Def

You can listen to some mp3s of his work at his website.