RIP.

[frankenjohn]

[Quorthon]

livingdeadgirl said:

So that autopsy won't find anything unusual? ;D

I had my son that night, so we could spend the next day together--he'll vouch for me!!

[LivingDeadGirl]

I don't know if he'll hold up under interrogation...

[Phoenix]

RIP Richard Pryor.

Actor-comedian Richard Pryor, who helped transform comedy with biting commentary on race and his own shortcomings, died on Saturday at age 65 after a long illness, his wife told CNN.

"He was my treasure," Jennifer Pryor said in a telephone interview. "His comedy is unparalleled. They say that you are not a comic unless you imitate Richard Pryor. ... He was able to turn his pain into comedy."

Pryor's wife said he died of cardiac arrest at 7:58 a.m. PST after her efforts to resuscitate him failed and after he was taken to a hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino. Pryor had been suffering from multiple sclerosis, a degenerative nervous system disease, for almost 20 years.

While he appeared in many successful movies, it was Pryor's stand-up comedy act, in which nothing was off-limits, that made him a controversial star. Racism was a major component of his routine and he even joked about a 1980 incident in which he nearly died after setting himself on fire while free-basing cocaine.

Pryor marked his 65th birthday on December 1.

"He's been so strong for so many years," Jennifer Pryor told CNN. "He's had this disease (multiple sclerosis) since 1986 ... He's had beyond nine lives. We used to joke he's going to outlive everybody.

"He was an extraordinary man, as you know. He enjoyed life right up until the end. He did not suffer, he went quickly, at the end there was a smile on his face ... he's a very, very, very amazing man and he opened doors to so many people."

Pryor was married seven times, including twice to Jennifer and twice to Flynn Belaine, and had seven children.

Pryor grew up in the Peoria, Illinois, brothel run by his grandmother. After a stint in the Army, he pursued a comedy career that landed him spots on the Ed Sullivan and Merv Griffin shows in the 1960s.

He eventually grew unhappy with the "white bread" humor those shows sought and revamped his act with inspiration from the hustlers, pimps and other characters he had encountered at his grandmother's whorehouse. The result was a routine that was both profound and profane.

"He had a courage and a heart and a spirit that was unmatchable and, of course, he was controversial," Jennifer Pryor said. "That was wonderful Richard. He told the truth, didn't he? ... he told the truth and he was very proud.

"Bigoted rednecks came up to Richard and told him, 'Thank you for opening my eyes,' because he was so in touch with the truth and only spoke the truth ... people respond to that."

Pryor won Grammy Awards for his comedy albums and portrayed Billie Holiday's piano player in the 1972 Oscar-nominated film "Lady Sings the Blues."

His other movies included "Uptown Saturday Night," "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings," "Blue Collar," "Stir Crazy," "Superman III" and "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling," which was based loosely on his life.

"He was an innovator, a trailblazer," director Spike Lee told CNN. "It's a great loss."

[frankenjohn]

phoenix said:

RIP Richard Pryor.

Actor-comedian Richard Pryor, who helped transform comedy with biting commentary on race and his own shortcomings, died on Saturday at age 65 after a long illness, his wife told CNN.

"He was my treasure," Jennifer Pryor said in a telephone interview. "His comedy is unparalleled. They say that you are not a comic unless you imitate Richard Pryor. ... He was able to turn his pain into comedy."

Pryor's wife said he died of cardiac arrest at 7:58 a.m. PST after her efforts to resuscitate him failed and after he was taken to a hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino. Pryor had been suffering from multiple sclerosis, a degenerative nervous system disease, for almost 20 years.

While he appeared in many successful movies, it was Pryor's stand-up comedy act, in which nothing was off-limits, that made him a controversial star. Racism was a major component of his routine and he even joked about a 1980 incident in which he nearly died after setting himself on fire while free-basing cocaine.

Pryor marked his 65th birthday on December 1.

"He's been so strong for so many years," Jennifer Pryor told CNN. "He's had this disease (multiple sclerosis) since 1986 ... He's had beyond nine lives. We used to joke he's going to outlive everybody.

"He was an extraordinary man, as you know. He enjoyed life right up until the end. He did not suffer, he went quickly, at the end there was a smile on his face ... he's a very, very, very amazing man and he opened doors to so many people."

Pryor was married seven times, including twice to Jennifer and twice to Flynn Belaine, and had seven children.

Pryor grew up in the Peoria, Illinois, brothel run by his grandmother. After a stint in the Army, he pursued a comedy career that landed him spots on the Ed Sullivan and Merv Griffin shows in the 1960s.

He eventually grew unhappy with the "white bread" humor those shows sought and revamped his act with inspiration from the hustlers, pimps and other characters he had encountered at his grandmother's whorehouse. The result was a routine that was both profound and profane.

"He had a courage and a heart and a spirit that was unmatchable and, of course, he was controversial," Jennifer Pryor said. "That was wonderful Richard. He told the truth, didn't he? ... he told the truth and he was very proud.

"Bigoted rednecks came up to Richard and told him, 'Thank you for opening my eyes,' because he was so in touch with the truth and only spoke the truth ... people respond to that."

Pryor won Grammy Awards for his comedy albums and portrayed Billie Holiday's piano player in the 1972 Oscar-nominated film "Lady Sings the Blues."

His other movies included "Uptown Saturday Night," "The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings," "Blue Collar," "Stir Crazy," "Superman III" and "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling," which was based loosely on his life.

"He was an innovator, a trailblazer," director Spike Lee told CNN. "It's a great loss."

That's a very, very sad loss. R.I.P. Richie. We'll miss ya.

[42ndstreetfreak]

This is a biggy!! I guess it was on the cards though, he's looked very ill for a long while.

RIP...A true icon.

No mention of "The Mack"!? ;D

[Heineken Skywalker]

A biggie indeed.
The king is dead.
RIP

[42ndstreetfreak]

Hands up! Who's going to slam on "Dynamite Chicken" in his honour! ;D

[Termination]

So Fucking sad.
He will forever be remembered.
RIP Richard Pryor, thanks for all the laughs!

[LivingDeadGirl]

One of my favorites...RIP.

[Quorthon]

Do you think he ran flamin' to heaven...?

[slayrrr666]

RIP:

Robert F. Newmyer, a prolific independent film producer whose credits include "Training Day" and "The Santa Clause" movies, has died. He was 49.

Newmyer died Monday of a heart attack while he was working out at a gym in Toronto, his friends said.

Newmyer, who had more than two dozen movie credits, was known for his passion for making both big studio pictures and independent films.

"He liked to move people," Jeffrey Silver, his partner at Outlaw Productions, told the Los Angeles Times. "He liked to make them laugh, and he liked to make them cry."

Newmyer started off as a vice president of production and acquisitions at Columbia Pictures. He and Silver formed Outlaw Productions in the late 1980s, which was named after Newmyer's favorite Clint Eastwood character, the outlaw Josey Wales.

They hit it big with "sex, lies and videotape" in 1989 and the company took off when it produced "The Santa Clause" in 1994.

This year, Newmyer mortgaged his homes in Los Angeles and Telluride, Colo., to raise $3 million to finance "Phat Girlz," a romantic comedy about an aspiring plus-size fashion designer starring MoNique Imes-Jackson. Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired the film, which is scheduled to be released in April.

"Bobby was a true maverick and a true risk-taker," said Amy Pascal, chairwoman of Sony Motion Pictures Group. "He was unlike anyone else. He put all his cards on the table."

One of his pending projects — "The Lost Boys of the Sudan" — developed from a "60 Minutes" segment about a group of young boys who were trying to flee the violence in the African country. He was so moved by their stories that he housed some of the boys in his home over the last several years, said Lucy Fisher, his cousin and fellow movie producer.

Newmyer is survived by his wife, Deborah, and his children, Sofi, Teddy, James and Billi.

[Heineken Skywalker]

quorthon said:

Do you think he ran flamin' to heaven...?

Richard Pryor: When that fire hit your ass, it will sober your ass up quick! I saw something, I went, "Well, that's a pretty blue. You know what? That looks like FIRE!!!"
Fire is inspirational. They should use it in the Olympics, because I ran the 100 in 4.3.

[Quorthon]

heinekenskywalker said:

quorthon said:

Do you think he ran flamin' to heaven...?

Richard Pryor: When that fire hit your ass, it will sober your ass up quick! I saw something, I went, "Well, that's a pretty blue. You know what? That looks like FIRE!!!"
Fire is inspirational. They should use it in the Olympics, because I ran the 100 in 4.3.

I was hopin' someone would catch that...

[Heineken Skywalker]

You may not know the name, but if you're a movie fan, you've definitely seen the face. The great character actor, Vincent Schiavelli, has passed away. Cause of death was lung cancer.
He was great in FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH & GHOST.
Bio:
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051226/ap_en_tv/obit_schiavelli
Photo & filmography:
imdb.com/name/nm0001704/

R.I.P. Mr. Schavelli.