He'll have to challenge the social structure in heaven now

WARNING: Adult language included.

For those who may have missed it, a sad but expected day has come at last. Legendary comedian Richard Pryor passed away last night from a heart attack. He had long been suffering from a range of medical problems, some possibly of his own making from the wild lifestyle he lead, compounded with MS and rumors of other maladies such as Parkinsons in later years.

Richard Pryor had a large influence on my life, and ranks at or near the top of my all time favorite comedians. He broke new ground, going all the way back to his early stand-up acts in clubs, his first (highly controversial) records on vinyl, which I think I owned all of at one time, to his then shocking appearances with Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live. (SPEAR CHUCKER!!!)

Richard was also a man who surpassed "highly regarded" among his peers. He was in inspiration to so many successful comics that they can't all be named. I feel that one of the greatest honors he was paid by his contemporaries came in recent years, while his health was fading, when a group of famous comics got together to do a tribute show to him. Most comedians at that level would obviously get a tribute show after they passed away. Not Richard - his friends decided to film his tribute show while he was still alive and it was sent for him to watch in the hospital. It was called, "Richard Pryor: I ain't dead yet, motherfucker." I have it on tape and still enjoy it.

Another item in my collection was a present from my wife. She bought me Richard's entire, ill fated television series on DVD - "The Richard Pryor Show." In all honesty, the show wasn't nearly as good as it could have been, but after reading Richard's comments on it in later years, it clearly wasn't his fault. The networks in those days were still exceedingly nervous about airing any controversial material, and censors rode like cowboys with heavy whips on any talent that threatened to cross the line. Richard would get scripts ready for various skits on his show, rehearse with the cast, and be told that everything was fine. Then, on the day of taping, he'd show up and find a fifteen page script cut down to two pages with red censor "x" marks through the rest. He and the cast would have to improv the scenes, always hedging on the racier material for fear of being cancelled. In the end, they were cancelled anyway after less than one regular season.

It was still a great show, and the supporting cast included many edgy comics who went on to brilliant careers, owed largely to Richard giving them their first start.

I'm going to miss Richard Pryor. He was an inspiration who never feared to speak truth to power and rode the bleeding edge of comedy in a way that few comedians besides Sam Kinnison did in years to come. Goodbye, Richard. And while you're up there wherever your final reward turns out to be, give 'em hell.