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Story of how Eddie Murphy took care of Redd Foxx's burial fees after the star died penniless

Cynthia Rita
Dec 27, 2018
07:04 P.M.

- Redd Foxx is remembered for his role as Fred Sanford in the sitcom "Sanford & Son," where he was the main lead.

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- Foxx had a career full of controversies thanks to his humor style; he was one of the first comedians to use "blue humor."

Celebritist has gathered information about the life and career of late comedian Redd Foxx, who is for many a source of inspiration thanks to his impeccable work with his humor style.

Foxx was born as John Elroy Sanford. He grew up in Chicago and was raised by his mother and his grandmother.

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Redd started performing his routine in small clubs on the East Coast until he received an invitation to go to Los Angeles and introduce his raunchy style to the audiences of the most sophisticated clubs.

He was discovered by Dootsie Williams of Dootone Records, and after signing a deal with them, he became the first African American to perform for a white audience on the Las Vegas Strip.

Redd recorded many comedy records that were considered as "too rude and raunchy" for white people, but eventually, the records started to sell and Redd earned a fan base that helped him to gain visibility.

In 1972 he was given the opportunity to star in his own show, "Sanford & Son," and his career took off with the success of the sitcom.

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Redd had some troubles with the writers of the show that he always shared with the media and it was mostly the fact that he didn't think the show showcased the "black experience" as it should have.

He left the show after six seasons and embarked on a new adventure with a short-lived variety show on ABC that only lasted one year.

He also had some appearances in films like "All the Fine Young Cannibals," "Piano Player," "Cotton Comes to Harlem," and Norman... Is That You?"

By the time he made a comeback to TV with the series "The Royal Family," Foxx was in a deep debt and the IRS had auctioned all of his assets in order to pay his taxes.

He declared bankruptcy and later when he died from a heart attack, his widow didn't know how to deal with the expenses.

Redd’s old friend and co-star from "Harlem Nights" Eddie Murphy paid for the whole service and made Foxx's funeral an event full of stars that wanted to say goodbye to one of the greatest comedians.

Did you know this about Redd Foxx's life?

Source:

IMDB

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