Growing up, Richard Pryor was my favorite comedian. Sneaking a listen to his records was always a treat. He was brutally honest. There was nothing he wouldn't talk about:sex, race, drug use, and a whole myriad of social issues. He was the link between Redd Foxx and Eddie Murphy in the lineage of hard black comedians that continue today with Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle(check out Harlem Nights with Foxx, Pryor and Murphy). It's hard to understate his influence. He literally invented the mock "white man voice" that most black comedians have adopted. His early records are fairly shocking even now. He was also a huge donator and supporter of organizations for abandoned and abused animals. If you go to his site you will see all kinds of links about this.

In 1998, he was awarded the first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Humor Prize. This was his acceptance speech:

"Two things people throughout history have had in common are hatred and humor. I am proud, that like Mark Twain, I've been able to use humor to lessen people's hatred. I feel great about accepting this prize. It is nice to be regarded on par with a great white man. Now that's funny."

Anyway, R.I.P.