| Comedian Richard Pryor dies at 65
Saturday, December 10, 2005; Posted: 6:16 p.m. EST (23:16 GMT)
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(CNN) -- Just days after his 65th birthday, groundbreaking comedian Richard Pryor died Saturday of a heart attack, his wife told CNN.
Pryor, who had been ill with multiple sclerosis, died at Encino Hospital near Los Angeles at 7:58 a.m. PT. Jennifer Lee Pryor tried to revive him at their home before paramedics arrived and took him to the hospital, she said.
"He enjoyed life right up until the end," she said, adding that Pryor had been laughing a lot and was in good spirits in the two weeks preceding his death. "At the end there was a smile on his face."
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Pryor was known for his raunchy stand-up comedy and a variety of acting roles, including in "Superman III," "The Toy" and "Harlem Nights," in which he starred with his comedic predecessor, Redd Foxx, and his heir apparent, Eddie Murphy.
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Pryor was arguably the biggest name in stand-up comedy during the 1970s, earning Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.
In addition to appearances in almost 40 films, Pryor also was part of the team that created the script for the Mel Brooks comedy, "Blazing Saddles."
He also directed himself in a semi-autobiographical film, "Jo Jo Dancer Your Life is Calling," in the mid-1980s, a film he says refused to be written as a comedy.
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One is director Martin Scorsese, who said Pryor's resilience was inspiring.
"It's a very savage kind of humor, it comes out of a great deal of pain," Scorsese said.
Jennifer Lee Pryor said her husband inspired many people by being candid about his own strife.
"He was able to turn pain into comedy," she said. "He let the world see it, and that was his inspiration, too.
"People said, 'If he can do it, I can do it.' "
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