Richard Pryor

"There's a thin line between to laugh with and to laugh at."

Richard Pryor walked that line for decades - and strayed into dangerous territory in more ways than one. He cheated death years ago when he was freebasing cocaine and was nearly killed in an explosion. Later, MS confined him physically, if not mentally. On Saturday, he died, at 65.

Pryor peaked as a comedian in the 1970s, when stand-ups were treated like rock stars. His deft handling of both outrage and being outrageous was stunning to watch, even on watered-down venues like television.