Richard Pyror Is Dead

Those of us who like to laugh will miss Rich, and he was truly was an innovator.

But let us not forget the absolute standard setter for this style of comedy.

The tragic, the strung out, the dead, the iconoclast, the funny, the hip....

LENNY BRUCE

I don't want to hijack this thread; just give a little due where it belongs.

I'm really gonna miss this guy. He was the best.

In honor of Pryor everyone should "have a Coke and a smile and shut the eff up!".

RIP Richard.

Peace

He broke all kinds of barriers that existed for blacks in show business in his day. If not for Pryor, we would still be seeing Amos and Andy as representative of African American culture on TV. His appearances on SNL (The Dead Honky Skecth), his own primetime TV show, and his outspoken embrace of his childhood poverty changed how white people see black people forever.

Pryor was also, unfortunately, his own worst enemy and sadly we bore witness to that. How much greater could he have been? I'm not sure. Perhaps the question is, as it might be put in this age, how could he have marketed himself better? I truly don't care. He was who he was and I will miss him terribly, flaws and all. He was genuine, he was passionate, he was sensitive, he was brilliant...and he was all too human, a quality that we all seem to hide nowadays.

Dave: Wally! I heard you!! I heard your voice!
Wally: Hooray! You can hear me!
Dave: What?
Wally: You can hear me!
Dave: [shouts] No, schmuck, I'm deaf!! I'm deaf! Now do you get it?

RIP, Mr. Pryor. Thanks for nearly 30 years of making me laugh.