What happened to Paul Mooney? Comedian passes away at the age of 79

Comedian and actor Paul Mooney, also known as the Godfather of Comedy, has passed away at the age of 79. The news was shared by his publicist and fans are pouring in tribute and honorary messages for the actor on Twitter. Read further to know more about Paul Mooney and what his fans have to say.

Comedian Paul Mooney passes away at the age of 79 at Oakland, California

The news was shared by the actor’s publicist Cassandra Williams to the outlet CBS News. Paul Mooney was at his home in Oakland, California at the time of his passing on May 19, 2021. He died of a heart attack and was 79 years old.

Mooney was a popular comedian and actor who wrote for genres including observational comedy, improvisational comedy and sketch comedy. He had collaborated with h Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Dave Chappelle, while he was popularly known for being the writer of comedian Richard Pryor, for The Richard Pryor Show. He was often credited as a key writer for several influential Black sitcoms and comedy show, some of which are Sanford and Son, which marked his debut followed by Good Times, In Living Color, Pryor's Place, Chappelle's Show as well as the parody show Real Husbands of Hollywood.

Paul Mooney was also known for playing the role of Sam Cooke in the 1978 movie The Buddy Holly Story and Junebug in the satirical film Bamboozled directed by Spike Lee.  His role of Negrodamus on Chappelle's Show also garnered quite a lot of attention. Hollywood Shuffle and Bustin’ Loose are also some of his famous acting credits. The actor’s most recent film includes Meet The Black in 2016, where he played Klansman and prior to that he appeared in the 2014 movie Hidden Colors 3: The Rules of Racism, as himself.

As soon as the news of his death came out, netizens took to Twitter in huge numbers to remember him and appreciate the late actor’s work. Twitterati is sharing their favourite scenes written by the comedian and addressing him as the Godfather of Comedy. Take a look at some of the tweets here.

Image: Paul Mooney's Twitter