A publicist for Paul Mooney says he suffered a heart attack at his home in Oakland.
Published May 19, 2021 •
Updated 6 hours ago
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Paul Mooney, a boundary-pushing comedian who was Richard Pryor’s longtime writing partner and whose sage, incisive musings on racism and American life made him a revered figure in stand-up, has died. He was 79.
Cassandra Williams, Mooney’s publicist, said he died Wednesday morning at his home in Oakland, California, from a heart attack. He was staying with a family member who was a caregiver, she said. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get the latest breaking news and local stories.
Paul Mooney in Los Angeles in 2016 (Eric Charbonneau/Meet The Blacks via AP)
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Paul Mooney, a boundary-pushing comedian who was Richard Pryor’s longtime writing partner and whose sage, incisive musings on racism and American life made him a revered figure in stand-up, has died aged 79.
Cassandra Williams, Mooney’s publicist, said he died on Wednesday morning at his home in Oakland, California, from a heart attack.
John Lamparski
Paul Mooney, the actor-comedian famous for starring on “Chappelle’s Show” and “Bamboozled,” has died at 79, a rep for the actor, Cassandra Williams, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Mooney’s daughter, Spring Mooney, also took to Twitter with the news, saying her “best friend” has died.
Mooney passed away from a heart attack on Wednesday morning in Oakland, California.
The comedian was from Shreveport, Louisiana, and got his start as a writer for Richard Pryor. He went on to write for the sketch hit “In Living Color” and often appeared in skits on Dave Chappelle’s Comedy Central show.
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Paul Mooney has sadly died at the age of 79 after suffering a sudden heart attack, his publicist has confirmed.
Mooney, known as the Godfather of Comedy, was at his home in Oakland, California with his family when he passed away
The actor, who was nicknamed the Godfather of Comedy, was best known as a writer for comedian Richard Pryor, playing singer Sam Cooke in The Buddy Holly Story in 1978 and Junebug in Bamboozled in 2000, and his appearances on Dave Chappelle‘s Show.
He was pronounced dead at 5:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday 19 May, with his representative, Cassandra Williams, saying: “It just happened.”