Remembering Richard Pryor
 Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor American stand-up comedian, Actor, Social Commentator December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005 |
Many others in my midst were turned off by the vulgarities associated with his material ... but that didn't faze me so much as his choice of white women as consorts but that too was simply my cross to bear and not his.
He would go off on tangents regarding current issues and I was struck by both his insight and witicisms.
I enjoyed his films and though I outgrew some of the humor they remain icons of the times which were theirs.
In a world where he was misunderstood and misconstrued by those in my various circles of interaction, he held a place with me where he was both understood and respected for who he was and what he was doing in those tumultous times he occupied.
His health was affected by his lifestyle diseases and of course the associated drug culture into which he immersed himself.
He had some heart problems and suffered from multiple sclerosis at the end and my heart went out to him for those intense issues and the misery he underwent.
His widow Jennifer said that "At the end, there was a smile on his face" and I suppose that speaks volumes for this man who did a whole lot of things and consistently placed his own spin on every one of them.