The son of a prostitute, thrown out of school at age 14, comic Pryor was never going to be one for the occasional sherry and lights out at 10. During army service in Germany he stabbed a white soldier who laughed too hard at racial humour. A fearsome drinker and drug taker, he set fire to himself while freebasing cocaine in 1982; despite suffering 50% burns to his body, Pryor incorporated the tragedy into his act, laughing at the idea of him running down a street on fire.
