Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III (December 1, 1940 - December 10, 2005) was an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is also regarded as the most important stand up comedian of his time. Pryor grew up in his grandmother's brothel, where his mother, Gertrude L. Thomas, practiced prostitution. His father, LeRoy "Buck" Pryor (a.k.a. Buck Carter) was a former bartender, boxer, and World War II veteran who worked as his wife's pimp. In 1991, Pryor announced that he had been suffering from multiple sclerosis since 1986. In response to giving up drugs after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he said: "God gave me this M.S. sh*t to save my life".