The world became a little less funny yesterday when Richard Pryor passed on from a heart attack. He was 65 years old. But he had suffered for years with MS and has not been the man that many of us knew for some time. Perhaps he is in a better place now, one in which he can tell his jokes in the style that he and we grew accustomed to.
If you have ever looked at my Funniest People list (in the featured posts section to the left) you will know that he was listed at #1. His brand of humor was sometimes vulgar, perhaps raunchy, certainly cutting edge and always honest. He never shied away from talking about himself, even if he was discussing those less attractive parts of his life. In fact, he was at his best when making fun of his own mistakes. Think of his bit about shooting up his car so his wife could not leave him - "It got good to me." Or his routine about Jim Brown trying to get him off of drugs - "Whatcha gon' do?"
He influenced entire generations of comedians, from Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams to Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence. His film career holds both stinkers and keepers, mostly keepers. He was able to handle comedy easily, and most effectively teamed with Gene Wilder, but he was also capable of playing serious roles like his part in Lady Sings the Blues, or his own directing work in which he stared as himself in Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling. And unlike other comedians who quit stand up after their film careers took off, Pryor never left the stage. His three concert films are classics to be seen by every generation that comes after. And in them, he is completely honest (well...perhaps not about which drugs he was or was not currently taking.) He pokes fun at lighting himself on fire. He talks about his addictions. And he shares his hopes and fears with the world as if each and every one of us were his best friend.
There will never be another like him. His characters were hilarious, his writing skills non-comparable (his work on Blazing Saddles frankly makes the film), and his truth and honesty the most lasting effect he had on the world of comedy. Where other comedians fall into anger and bitterness when discussing their perceived slights (see Carlin and Bruce), Pryor became (and was always) warm and engaging. Where other comedians boast of their lives and themselves (see Murphy or Rock), Pryor was almost always self-deprecating. Much like the Beatles, younger comedians owe a debt to Richard Pryor. There is a little of him in all of them, and would that it were so with all of us. The world would be a far better place if we were able to laugh at ourselves as he did, and be honest about our lives and actions as he was. He was not perfect (no man is) but he made you laugh at that very fact. He will be missed. That is all.
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