Veteran comedian, writer, and actor, Paul Mooney is dead.
He died of a heart attack at the age of 79.
Mooney died today, May 19, at his home in Oakland, California, his updated Wikipedia page says.
His family added that he died on Wednesday morning, despite attempts by paramedics to revive him, according to TMZ.
Paul, who’s been out of the public eye for a few years, had also reportedly been suffering from dementia for some time and was staying with a family member.
Paul Mooney was known best for his work with Richard Pryor.
Mooney was also the head writer on “The Richard Pryor Show” and wrote a few episodes of “Pryor’s Place.” His other notable writing credits include “Sanford and Son,” “In Living Color” and “Chappelle’s Show.”
As an actor, Paul was best known for playing Sam Cooke in the 1978 film, “The Buddy Holly Story,” and for his role as Junebug in Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled”.