Richard Pryor

Richard Franklin Lenox Thomas Pryor (born December 1, 1940 in Peoria, Illinois) is an American comedian and actor.

The freebasing accident and its aftermath

On June 1, 1980, Pryor accidentally set himself on fire while freebasing cocaine. Pryor made this part of his heralded "final" stand up show "Richard Pryor Live On Sunset Strip" (1982). After joking that his accident was actually caused when he dunked a cookie into a glass containing two different types of milk, he gave a poignant yet both funny and serious account of his accident and recovery, then poked fun at people who told jokes about his accident by waving a lit match and saying "What's this? It's Richard Pryor running down the street."

Related Topics:
June 1 - 1980 - Freebasing - Cocaine - Cookie - Milk

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He didn't stay away from live stand-up too long, though - in 1983 he filmed and released a new concert film and accompanying album, Here And Now, which he directed himself. He then wrote and directed a fictionalized account of his life, Jo Jo Dancer Your Life Is Calling.

Related Topics:
1983 - Here And Now - Jo Jo Dancer Your Life Is Calling

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In 1986, Pryor announced that he suffers from multiple sclerosis. In 1992 he gave some final live performances, excerpts of which appear on the ...And It's Deep Too! box set.

Related Topics:
1986 - Multiple sclerosis - 1992

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