Richard Pryor dies at 65

[Luco El Loco]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Richard Pryor, who helped transform comedy with biting commentary on race and often profane reflections on his own shortcomings, died on Saturday at age 65 after a long illness, his wife told CNN.

Pryor died of heart failure on Saturday morning after efforts to resuscitate him failed and after he was taken to a hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino, his wife, Jennifer Pryor, said. Pryor had been suffering from multiple sclerosis, a degenerative nervous system disease, for almost 20 years.

"He was my treasure," Jennifer Pryor said in a telephone interview. "His comedy is unparalleled. ...He was able to turn his pain into comedy."

Credited for paving the way for a generation of comic performers, including the likes of Robin Williams, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock, Pryor began performing in New York in the 1960s but found his voice with an edgier kind of comedy after moving to California in about 1970.

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[Andrew]

I don't know why but when it comes to talking about people that have just died I seem to completely lose my grasp of the english language.

It's a shame to hear that he's finally died. I havn't seen much of his stand up shows but from what I have it's a great loss. There's a bit of his work on DVD now which is worth buying and his biography is a great read if you ever get the chance.

Still, if finally answers that question that everybody ask's themselves at random points in their life...

"Is richard pryor still alive?"

[smerker]

It's a real shame. Without him, modern comedy just wouldn't be as good. I'd only just finished reading his autobiography when I heard.