Comedian, actor and comedy writer Paul Mooney has died at age 79. According to the Daily News, the Richard Pryor associate suffered a heart attack in Oakland, California, and was pronounced dead on Wednesday, May 19 at 5:30 AM.
According to TMZ, the comedy legend had stayed out of the public for years and has allegedly been suffering from dementia. Paramedics attempted to revive him in his Oakland home this morning following the heart attack but were unsuccessful.
Raised mostly by his grandmother, Mooney grew up in Oakland after moving from Shreveport, Louisiana at age 7. He got his big break onto the small screen in the mid-1970s when he was chosen as a comedy writer for the popular sitcom Sanford & Son.
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Doors then began opening for the aspiring stand-up comedian, and he soon met Richard Pryor. The two collaborated throughout the 1970s and 1980s, writing jokes for The Richard Pryor Show, as well as Pryor’s most famous stand-up specials, including 1982’s Richard Pryor: Live On The Sunset Strip.
Mooney went on to receive dozens of additional comedy writing credits, including for Fox’s sketch comedy show In Living Color and Roseanne. Starring as Sam Cooke in the 1978 biopic The Buddy Holly Story, Mooney is also known for his solo stand-up comedy specials as well as various acting roles throughout his 40+ year career.
On Chappelle’s Show, Mooney infamously played Negrodamus and was often brought back as a series regular for the show’s “Mooney on Movies” and “Ask A Black Dude” segments.
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He sat down with Okay Player in 2014 to discuss his wide-ranging career and the difference between stand-up comedy in decades past and now. That year, he released his stand-up special Paul Mooney: A Piece of My Mind – God Bless America.
“Someone had asked me the other day about what were the best times for me. The best times for me is now,” Mooney said at the time.
“It’s what I do, it’s not yesterday. Yesterday is the past. And it’s never tomorrow, it’s always today…It’s what goes on today, and it’s wonderful today because it’s so exciting. It’s exciting, everything’s exciting! I love the times now, I love it.”
Mooney leaves behind four children along with countless fans. We wish his family the best during this difficult time.
May he rest in peace.
