Richard Pryor, RIP

(Posted Saturday afternoon, about 4:20 PM Eastern Time)

Just moved over the news wires, no stories up yet:

Richard Pryor, aged 65, apparently died this afternoon Saturday morning at his home in California after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis.

The skinny kid from Peoria, Illinois was one of the finest comics who ever lived. Rest in peace, Richard.

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Update, Sunday morning:

Some very fine remembrances of Richard Pryor in the press this morning, including:

• The New York Times (Mel Watkins)
• The Sunday Times (of London) (Brendan Bourne)
• The Los Angeles Times (Lynell George)

And in many other newspapers not called "The Times" as well.

The message forums at Richard's web site are still down; the server must have damn nearly melted under the load.

I used to pop in there from time to time and read a thread or two; Richard's wife (and long-time caregiver after the MS diagnosis) Jennifer Lee was a constant presence on those forums, and the Man Himself turned up there every now and then with a comment (dictated, of course, to Jennifer, as MS had long since robbed him of the fine motor control required to operate a keyboard.)

Wikipedia has temporarily locked their article on Pryor due to repeated vandalism; if you're looking for a biography, the one at Richard's site is quite good.