Comedian Richard Pryor dies at 65.

Richard Pryor, the caustic yet perceptive actor-comedian who lived dangerously close to the edge both on stage and off, has died. He was 65. Pryor died shortly before 8 a.m. of a heart attack at a hospital in the San Fernando Valley, according to his business manager of 14 years Karen Finch.

Pryor, whose audacious style influenced an array of stand-up artists, had been ill for years with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system.

Among those most influenced by his comedy were fellow black artists such as Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Damon Wayans, as well as Robin Williams, David Letterman and others. Pryor's pioneering success made their roads to stardom all the smoother.

In 1998, Pryor won the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. And in 2004, Comedy Central voted him the top standup comedian of all time.

He is survived by his wife Jennifer Lee and seven children.

RIP
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A very sad day. Pryor was a true hero of entertainment.