richard pryor johhnny carson interview after setting himself on fire

On this day, June 9, in 1980, comedian Richard Pryor set himself on fire while free-basing cocaine and drinking 151-proof rum. Pryor ran down his street in Northridge, Calif., until subdued by police. His daughter said her father was in a drug-induced psychosis and poured rum over his body and set himself on fire.

Pryor, 39, was given a 1-in-3 chance to live, but he survived and continued to do stand-up.

During his 1982 comedy show, the street-wise comedian joked that the fire was caused by dunking a cookie into a glass of low-fat and pasteurized milk.

He waved a lit match, "What's this? It's Richard Pryor running down the street."

Pryor died in 2005. Comedy Central listed him as No. 1 on its list of all time greatest stand-up comedians.

Lol sh*t was funny when he touched his arm and he was like "Ahhhh"

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This was on my birthday gemini gang stand up, but y comedians or people doing interviews, dont act this real and authentic anymore this was on the 80s smh

trill jackson said

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On this day, June 9, in 1980, comedian Richard Pryor set himself on fire while free-basing cocaine and drinking 151-proof rum. Pryor ran down his street in Northridge, Calif., until subdued by police. His daughter said her father was in a drug-induced psychosis and poured rum over his body and set himself on fire.

Pryor, 39, was given a 1-in-3 chance to live, but he survived and continued to do stand-up.

During his 1982 comedy show, the street-wise comedian joked that the fire was caused by dunking a cookie into a glass of low-fat and pasteurized milk.

He waved a lit match, "What's this? It's Richard Pryor running down the street."

Pryor died in 2005. Comedy Central listed him as No. 1 on its list of all time greatest stand-up comedians.

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Goat status!

02:04 PM

For anyone who doesn't get the Richard Pryor hype, he is the Tupac of comedy.

He made these comedians what they are today.

You may listen to a Pryor stand up for the 1st time today and be bored to death, like "this is the same old sh*t I been hearing from every comedian".

Precisely! They have taken his style and his jokes and made their careers off of it for decades. Now his jokes sound stale unless you heard them 30 years ago.

Same way folks will say they dont like Pac but love his clones. You gotta respect that these guys are the reason all them other guys did things the way they did.