No matter how successful you get in show business, you always remember the stars who motivated you in any case.
Many celebrities have acknowledged previous generations of stars for their effect on their careers. However, Eddie Murphy just revealed an astonishing method he returned one of his comedic inspirations.
Eddie Murphy has undoubtedly had a significant effect on humor. Murphy has been one of the world’s biggest entertainers for decades, from Saturday Night Live to Beverly Hills Cop to his celebrated stand-up career, and many comics consider him as a key inspiration.
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Obviously, Murphy was strongly influenced by the generation of comedians who came before him, and he cites Redd Foxx as one of his main influences.
Foxx was a productive and renowned stand-up comedian who recorded over 50 comedy albums during his career. His bawdy acts were deemed revolutionary at the time, and you can see how they could have impacted Murphy’s style.
Today, Foxx is best known for his portrayal as Fred Sanford on the popular comedy Sanford and Son. The 1970s sitcom was an immediate smash, catapulting the streetwise Foxx to stardom. It was a breakthrough series in many ways, but most notably for being one of the first sitcoms to feature an African American cast.
Yet Redd Foxx had more pressing things on his mind.
Writer Ted Bergman recalled Redd Foxx was interested in earning laughs. He further added other than he was a Black man in 1975, ten years away from the [civil rights] march in Selma [Alabama] with water cannons and attack dogs. Ted merely wrote what he felt was hilarious and left the rest to the actors.
After the accomplishment with Sanford and Son, Foxx likewise got his own show named after him, “The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour.”
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Whenever Murphy’s own vocation took off, he and Foxx became companions. They featured in the film Harlem Nights together. Following the popularity of Sanford and Son, Foxx was given his own program, “The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour.”
Murphy and Foxx became friends after Murphy’s career took off. They co-starred in the film Harlem Nights.
Regardless of his stellar career, Foxx had major financial difficulties and declared bankruptcy. Foxx allegedly earned $4 million in a single year, but his riches went swiftly due to the actor’s expensive lifestyle, which was “exacerbated by what he called ‘very terrible management.’
His expensive divorces also added to his severe financial predicament. For example, he was required to pay more than $150,000 in alimony to his second wife, Betty Jean, including $10,000 in monthly maintenance payments after they divorced in 1974.
Foxx was required to pay $300,000 in divorce settlement after he divorced his third wife, Joi Yun Chi Chung.
Foxx said during the divorce process he has been married three times and he is done with it. He’d rather have kids because when he gives up all this money on divorce, it should go to the children and not some guy. Foxx died of a heart attack in 1991, and he was so badly in debt to the IRS that no one knew how he would be buried.
Foxx stated before his death that the IRS removed his jewelry and the ID bracelet off his wrist and the money out of his wallet. He was treated as if he wasn’t human. According to some estimates, at the time of his death, the insolvent comic owed more than $3.6 million in taxes.
So Eddie Murphy stepped forward to cover the costs, ensuring that the late comedian received a dignified funeral. Murphy stated he buried Redd Foxx. He had to personally pay for his burial and purchase his headstone, among other things. He also stated that he had previously stepped up to cover similar costs.
He lamented he has buried a lot of individuals throughout the years. For whatever weird reason, many people in show business do not have their belongings in order when they die. If you only knew how many renowned individuals were buried. If you only knew….
While a funeral is not cheap, Murphy was at the pinnacle of his profession at the time and didn’t hesitate to help his old friend and mentor.
Murphy explained they were close and he adored Redd Foxx. Decades later, he hasn’t forgotten the late comedian: he paid tribute to Foxx in his most recent film, Dolemite is My Name:
Celebrities coming forward to aid friends in need is always heartwarming. Thank you to Eddie Murphy making ensuring that this comic classic was properly honored.
