Comedian Paul Mooney, "The Godfather of Comedy," dies at 79
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Journalist Roland S. Martin reports that the influential Black comedian and Richard Pryor's former writing partner known as "The Godfather of Comedy" who specialized in comedy about race relations, died this morning after suffering a heart attack at his home in Oakland. Mooney's career spanned from writing for Sanford and Son and The Richard Pryor Show in the 1970s to writing for In Living Color in the 1990s to playing "Negrodamus" on Chappelle's Show, where he also appeared as himself in "Ask a Black Dude" and "Mooney at the Movies" sketches. Mooney also had some controversies, including performing a "N*gga Wake Up Call Award" comedy bit at the 2005 BET Comedy Awards and for joking that "white people in Boston deserved what they got" after the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013.
TOPICS: Obits, Chappelle's Show, In Living Color, The Richard Pryor Show, Paul Mooney, Richard Pryor, Standup Comedy
