Watch the brave moment Richard Pryor opens up about his sobriety
Without a doubt, Richard Pryor was one of the greatest stand-up comedians, yet his career was occasionally marred by a well-documented struggle with substance addiction. His penchant for illicit substances, particularly cocaine and alcohol, was often the subject of his routines.
Pryor’s drug use once got so out of hand that in 1980, whilst freebasing cocaine, he doused himself in 151-proof rum and set himself on fire. He subsequently ran down the street in Los Angeles from his home until police stopped him. As a result, he spent six weeks recovering in the hospital. Incidents such as this would eventually lead Pryor towards sobriety.
In an interview with Johnny Carson, Pryor spoke about his sobriety. He said: “I haven’t had drugs in a long time now. And it’s the first time that I’m really trying to do something about it to stay off it now. I’ve been off a long time now, and it’s wearing off. Do you know how your body builds up a residue? Well, I got about thirty years of residue. So I’ll be high another two years.”
Asked whether he felt better sober, Pryor replied: “I do. I feel great, man. But I feel scared. I got a lot of those moments when I used to feel nervous, and I used to go get a drink or something. Now, I don’t do anything about that.”
Whilst Pryor’s misadventures of drug and alcohol abuse made for a fascinatingly chaotic life without a moment of boredom – not to mention exposing him to all manner of anecdotes that would make for great comedic material – it would ultimately be his downfall. Not only did his wife, Jennifer Lee, move out of the house when discovering him freebasing, but Pryor also suffered three heart attacks, the third of which would claim his life in 2005.
Pryor said: “I guess I had to stop drinking. I just got tired of waking up on the freeway driving 90mph. Do you ever do that? That’ll sober you up quick. ‘Where is everybody!?’ ‘Why’d they leave me here?’ I don’t remember people. I see people I don’t remember. ‘Richard, you remember the time you kissed that elephant?’ ‘No, I don’t even remember you.’”
He added: “You notice, though, when you’re drunk. I know people out there that drink. See, you people drink normal, have a couple of drinks, and feel fine. Me, I couldn’t stop drinking ‘til the bartender goes, ‘we got no more liquor! Okay!?’”
See the clip, below.
