Paul Mooney, the legendary comedian and comedy writer revered for his groundbreaking discourse surrounding race, passed away on Wednesday, May 19 at his home in Oakland, California at the age of 79 from a heart attack.
Mooney’s career sprouted from his behind-the-scenes partnership with Richard Pryor as a writer on the latter’s short-lived variety show. The duo, who are also the brains behind Saturday Night Live’s “Word Association” episode, boldly tackled race in an era where many entertainers tottered around the subject in fear of network censorship. From there, Mooney contributed his pen to In Living Color and later he’d both write and pivot on-screen for Dave Chappelle’s titular sketch comedy series as Negrodamus, a satirical seer and the show’s popularized character. He also played Sam Cooke in 1978’s The Buddy Holly Story and appeared in Spike Lee’s 2000 movie Bamboozled. The Shreveport native’s profound ability to analyze American life and politics in a frank candor that still garnered applause landed him among the influential veterans whose lasting impact on the industry influences today’s top roster. Tributes to Mooney’s trailblazing legacy swiftly amassed on social media.
Paul Mooney. A comedy giant. I recall listening to his RACE album in college and how formative it was. Yeah, the jokes. But more so, the freedom. He spoke freely and fearlessly about feelings and experiences others found difficult to express. May he be truly free now. Rest, sir.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 19, 2021
#PaulMooney, the comedic genius that fueled Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy made his transition to a holy place this morning. We will miss you, Homie. We will forever speak your name. ❤️🙏🏼😊😢 pic.twitter.com/IrNADkC2GO
— Debbie Allen (@msdebbieallen) May 19, 2021
“I want to shout out every comedian on earth and the best that ever did it passed away today. His legacy will live forever,” Dave Chappelle told TMZ. “He did everything from The Richard Pryor Show to the Dave Chappelle Show. He was one of the first Black people ever in The Writer’s Guild. Paul Mooney will be sorely missed and wildly remembered.” Calling Mooney a “comedy giant,” Ava DuVernay reminisced on the legend’s profound comedy album on race. In a tweet, she wrote: “He spoke freely and fearlessly about feelings and experiences others found difficult to express. May he be truly free now.” In another tweet, Debbie Allen wrote, “Paul Mooney, the comedic genius that fueled Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy made his transition to a holy place this morning.”
