"He could make you laugh so hard that it hurt"
James, Warrenton


I first saw Richard Pryor in Silver Bullet with Gene Wilder. It was hysterical.
After that any time I could get my hands on a movie --or best of all his live material it was as valuable as gold.
Being young and with TV still heavily controlled by people who were offended at the thought of ever showing that marries couples had one bed--he was nothing I had seen yet.
His live material was blunt and at times wickedly vulgar--I loved it.
His bio will reference other black comedians that he "influenced" but I would say that his influence went far beyond that and THAT list is very long indeed of those who he inspired. He broke barriers in not just his material and its presentation, what he would talk about and make fun of--but in his fan base.
I think he was able to be successful across the board as far as color goes and you couldn't find anyone who criticized him because of race--but his content.
I don't know anyone who didn't like his comedy. It was very depressing to have Multiple sclerosis take away such a charismatic and more importantly vibrant human being. To me that seemed to be the greatest part of the tragedy. A person so "alive" slowly being trapped within.

What is Richard Pryor's legacy to be?

Any favorite pieces of his material?

Richard Pryor in his prime was the funniest human being on the planet.

Period. End of sentence and debate.

I remember being in the Air Force when That Nigger's Crazy came out. It was scandalous enough that Pryor released an album with a title like that and then when you played the record you couldn't believe what he was saying. But you couldn't stop laughing either.

There's not a comedian in America who can step in front of a microphone and tell a joke without being a little naughty or a lot naughty who doesn't owe a small debt to Richard Pryor. He was The Next Step in comedy. There had always been comics who could talk dirty, but Pryor hit all the hot buttons: race, sex, Blacks and Whites.

Pryor wasn't amused with the way with the way things work and didn't work in America, but he took his anger and turned it into humor. He was raw, refreshingly real and in your face. I couldn't always believe he was saying what he was saying, but I was always glad that he did.

I don't have heroes. I just have people whom I admire and they inspire me.
Richard Pryor and Muhammad Ali have been always very high on that select list of talented geniuses. Like Ali, Pryor was felled by the ravages of disease, not the scorn of his critics.

I'm not sad he's gone. The last time I saw him on television he looked awful and could no longer speak. All the energy and spirit seemed drained from him. He looked tired and old and ready for a rest. But I will always cherish Richard Pryor as a man who was authentic, proud, candid and brave for daring to make America face up to it's intractable problem of race and racism and make people laugh at the truth.

God must have wanted to hear a good joke tonight.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&t...zg0e4j470wat~T1

This guy was the comedian of his lifetime. Not to mention his movies-Brewster's millions kills me every time.

Like Lenny Bruce and Redd Fox before him, Pryor expanded the meaning and scope of comedy. He offended some (some who probably needed offending), but entertained many more.

Rest in peace.

If anyone is interested, Cringe Humor Radio is playing an all Richard Pryor comedy tribute. You can listen in here: Audio Stream. Not sure how long it's going to go on, but it's kept me going all afternoon.

I won't try to eulogize Pryor, as others here have done so far more eloquently than me. I was exposed to him at a very young age, probably too young had my parents known. I was blown away by his raw honest humor. I will forever love his work.

Eternal peace, Mr. Pryor.