I remember the first time that I heard of Richard Pryor. He had an album cover of him about to be burned at the stake by people in robes with the title “Is It Something I Said?“. It doesn’t get funnier than that. Stated simply, he was a Redd Foxx that my generation could understand. Few comics today will talk about their own careers without mentioning the inspiration they received from Pryor. His White People characterizations are offered with such good humor and truth that those mimicked laugh the loudest.

Pryor did many things in his life but will likely be remembered most for his self-immolation described here in his autobiography (source: LA Times):

“After freebasing without interruption for several days in a row, I wasn’t able to discern one from the next . . . Imagining relief was nearby, I reached for the cognac bottle on the table in front of me and poured it all over me. Real natural. Methodical . . . I picked up my lighter . . . I was engulfed in flame. I was in a place that wasn’t heaven or earth. I must’ve gone into shock because I didn’t feel anything.”

Considering the above, it’s amazing that he was able to make it another 25 years. Good for him (and us).

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This entry was posted on Saturday, December 10th, 2005 at 10:03 pm by Insider and is filed under Brilliant, but uncategorizable. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.