| Hollyday |
| In Memory of Richard Pryor |
| by Megan Rellahan |
| Farewell to a great comedian. |
“He was my treasure and a national treasure,” said wife Jennifer Lee Pryor. “He will be missed, but will forever live in thousands and thousands of hearts and continue to impact and inspire people with his truth and his pain, which he turned into comedy brilliantly.”
As Richard Pryor probably has John Lennon rolling with laughter right about now, his loved ones laugh right along with them each time they remember his most hilarious moments in comedy. Pryor was a rebel with so many causes and he will be dearly missed by his beloved followers who proudly walked in his footsteps. Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Robin Williams, David Letterman, Martin Lawrence and the Wayan brothers are just a few of Pryor’s students who learned the tricks of the trade from the best. Notorious for being one of the most controversial comics who refused to apologize for speaking his mind, Richard Pryor changed the comedy genre forever.
In a recent email sent to me by my good friend -- actor/comedian, Skyler Stone, he had this to say:
“When I first moved to LA, I went and saw every comic at every venue. I saw Harland Williams, Jay Mohr, Sandler, Damon Wayans, Chris Tucker, Bob Saget, Dane Cook before he was well...Dane Cook, and EVERYONE else you can think of. I remember walking up to all these comics and asking them questions about where to go up and the science of stand-up. They all said the same two things though. First was to get up anywhere and everywhere and stop asking where to go up and how to
do it. The 2nd thing that EVERYONE said was to listen to Pryor....LISTEN TO PRYOR. He is one of the few comics that when you listen to his CD, you don't even need to see the visual, he paints it that well. You can completely envision the whole damn thing. I listened like crazy. I have his WHOLE box set. If you don't have it, it is worth your while.”
Farewell, Richard Pryor! We love you.
During a 1995 interview, Pryor said, “I had some great things and I had some bad things -- the best and the worst. In other words, I had a life.” |
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