Comedian Richard Pryor dead at 65

BBC NEWS | Entertainment: "Groundbreaking black US comedian Richard Pryor has died after almost 20 years with multiple sclerosis.

He died at the age of 65 of a heart attack at Encino hospital near Los Angeles, his wife Jennifer Pryor said.

A series of hit comedies in the 1970s and 1980s - including Stir Crazy and Silver Streak - helped make him one of Hollywood's highest-paid stars.

He blazed a trail for black performers, earning enough clout to negotiate his own deals in Hollywood.

A five-year contract with Columbia Pictures in 1983 earned him $40m (£23m). His comedy influenced black artists such as Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Damon Wayans, as well as Robin Williams, David Letterman and others.

His health also became material for his stand-up routines.

In 1992 he asked an audience: "Is there a doctor in the audience?"

Finally, when a hand went up, he said: "Doctor, I need to know one thing. What the [expletive deleted] is MS?"

The condition he wanted described is a degenerative disease of the nervous system.

In 1995, he played an embittered multiple sclerosis patient in an episode of TV series Chicago Hope. The role earned him an Emmy nomination as best guest actor in a drama series. "