Richard Pryor’s Daughter Remembers Late Comedian’s Advice for When She Found His Fame ‘Scary’ as a Little Girl (Exclusive)

Angela AndaloroThu, June 11, 2026 at 9:41 PM UTC

0

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor (left), Elizabeth and her father, Richard PryorCredit: Isabella Dellolio Photography; Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor/Instagram -

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor is the third eldest of late comedian Richard Pryor's seven children

The history professor, 59, first met her famous father at the age of 6 and grew to understand more about his fame after moving from Boston to Los Angeles during her upbringing

Stordeur Pryor shares her story in her new book, Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me

Richard Pryor's daughter is still learning more about her late father's fame.

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, the third eldest daughter of the comedian, appreciated her father's ability not to get caught up in his own fame. Speaking with PEOPLE about her new memoir, Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me, the history professor, 59, recalls having "fun" with Pryor growing up.

"I remember he took us to see a show at The Schubert with Sammy Davis Jr. And we got to dress up. And I went to the Oscars when I was a little girl. Those were things that were wonderful and exciting, or even seeing him get on stage and perform," she recalls.

She goes on to explain that Pryor had a "down-to-earthness" that served as a barrier between his family and some of the more chaotic elements of widespread fame.

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Elizabeth Stordeur PryorCredit: Isabella Dellolio Photography

"It's so hard to know when you only have that one experience, so I can't compare it, but he never really made me feel like we were to be treated differently or anything like that," she explains.

"And I tell this story in the book tangentially, which is I remember Black people especially loved my father and really felt of him as a kindred spirit who was speaking on their behalf. And so very often, if they saw him, they would just yell out of a car like, 'What up, Rich?' stuff like that. And he would wave."

Stordeur Pryor recalled a time when she was younger and told her father that being approached by fans was "scary."

"I once said to him, 'I don't like that. That's scary.' And he said, 'The only thing to worry about is when they stop,' " she recalls.

Advertisement

Richard Pryor performingCredit: Bettmann/ Getty

"I took that to heart. So I think he appreciated that people appreciated him and was humble on stage and off."

While the author was born in Boston, she moved to Los Angeles while she was growing up. She recalls everything feeling "dramatic and shocking."

"It was almost like a movie set in the way that I experienced it. I went from the more sheltered life that I came from, then my dad lived on two and a half acres in Northridge. We flew first class when he took us on vacations. And on the other hand, my mother was still working as a secretary and trying to make her ends meet for us," she acknowledges.

"The worlds were so different. I literally lived in two different worlds," Stordeur Pryor recalled. "I can't help but think about Alice in Wonderland every time I look back and think of my stories, trying to figure out all the different characters and players and where I fit in terms of them."

Cover of 'Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me' by Elizabeth Stordeur PryorCredit: Simon & Schuster

When she looks back at building her relationship with Pryor, the scholar says it was "dizzying and exciting."

"I loved him from the minute I saw him, from the minute I saw him. I was like, 'Give me more, give me more, give me more.' And I pretty much felt that way, honestly, until he died. I really wanted to connect with him, wanted to know he loved me, wanted to be enough for him," she shared.

"He was an amazing person, too. He was fun to be with at times. I mean, there were some unfun things, of course, but there was a way in which he was engaged and deep and connected to the people that he was around in a way that my mother simply... she wasn't a creative. And I think maybe that was a product of his being a creative, that made it so special and sometimes terrifying to be around him."

Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me is now available, wherever books are sold.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”