Washington, DC--

After many years of laughs and dirty comedy, came a night that sure will be remembered for years to come. Yesterday, comedians from all generations gathered at the Kennedy Center to salute one of the finest comedians ever to make us laugh, Richard Pryor. Pryor, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis smiled and waived his hands to the crowd that was on hand to show appreciation a man who received the first annual Mark Twain Prize for American humor. Among the attendees were Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Damon Wayans, Richard Belzer, and Robin Williams who referred to Pryor as the Evel Knievel of Comedy. He was the pioneer of many things in comedy some of which are too dirty to mention in print.

Most of what Pryor did over the years was an art, it created another dimension of comedy. Some of his films were so funny that the average viewer had to watch then two or three times before they could get through the entire movie without laughing and loosing concentration.

If any fan that was in attendance did laugh or shed a tear this past evening, it probably would not have been the traditional show we are accustomed to with Pryor. It was unfortunate that most of the humor this evening probably was not understood by Pryor due to his current condition. He smiled a few times during the evening, but for most of the show he sat in his wheelchair motionless and slumped to one side with a jaunt look on his face.

Much of what was said by the various comedians this evening was positive and was evident that many of the artists have been influenced by Pryor at sometime in their career. Richard Belzer, the star of Homicide, said, "The main thing about Richard was the verbal honesty. If I could do one-tenth of what Richard did, I figure that I'm doing all right." Damon Wayans and Chris Rock said, " man this guy was really funny and to not steal some of his work, means that you are not a true comedian."

Many of the fans were delighted by the clips that played throughout the entire evening including his TV appearances on NBC during the 1970's and movies such as Stir Crazy. "This is just another way to show Mr. Pryor that we loved what he did for comedy and we want him and his family that we love him and our prayers are with him," said Yolanda James a resident of Ft. Washington, Maryland, who attended the sold out show with 2,000 other loyal fans.

Pryor, who was accompanied by his daughter, Rain Pryor, acknowledged the crowd after many of the acts with a waive of the hand and even a stark smile from time to time. " I think awarding this to him would put a smile on his face for sometime to come said," Damon Wayans at an earlier press conference. As the night ended, many of the fans and artists joined Pryor for a reception at the rooftop restaurant. He reached out after the Mark Twain bust was presented to him and quietly said, "thank you."