Richard Pryor dead at 65

Heaven just got a hell of a lot funnier. From The Associated Press:

Richard Pryor, the groundbreaking comedian whose profanely personal insights into race relations and modern life made him one of Hollywood's biggest black stars, died of a heart attack Saturday. He was 65. Pryor died shortly before 8 a.m. after being taken to a hospital from his home in the San Fernando Valley, said his business manager, Karen Finch. He had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system. "We loved him and will miss you," his ex-wife, Flynn Pryor, said from her Florida home.

I loved Richard Pryor. My father, who literally had a red neck from time spent on the farm tractor, loved Richard Pryor. I mention my father's red neck to indicate how universal Pryor's humor was. Two of only a handful of movies ever seen by my father in the theater were Richard Pryor concert films. Rest in peace, Richard. UPDATED: The Liberal Avenger has posted a couple of MP3s of Richard Pryor.