Comedian Charlie Murphy, brother of Eddie Murphy, passed away following a long battle with leukemia. He was 57.
Murphy gained notoriety following his sting on Chappelle’s Show where he delivered outlandishly hilarious impressions and developed lovable characters and more. He also was an underrated stand-up comic and gave memorable movie performances. He served in the Navy from 1978-83.
-
Related Story: Watch Dave Chappelle Resurrect Beloved ‘Chappelle’s Show’ Characters For ‘Walking Dead’ Spoof on ‘SNL’
The night before he passed, he tweeted the following message.
One to Sleep On: Release the past to rest as deeply as possible.
— Charlie Murphy (@charliemurphy) April 12, 2017
Ultimately most will remember Charlie Murphy from his “Real Hollywood Stories” sketches from Chappelle’s Show where he comically re-told brazen stories partying with Rick James and Prince, both of which became iconic cultural touchstones. Without Charlie Murphy, there would be no “I’m Rick James, bitch!”
The Rick James Sketch
True Hollywood Stories: Prince
And who could forget Charlie Murphy and his crew playing against Prince and the Revolution? People still tweet “Game, blouses!” after sports games. (Prince reportedly loved the sketch.)
Charlie Murphy – Prince from Neo Suki on Vimeo.
Buc Nasty, Playa Hater Extraordinaire
The “Playa Haters’ Ball” sketch is my favorite Chappelle’s Show bit. Charlie Murphy is a large part of that, playing the hilarious Buc Nasty. You can watch the whole sketch here but this outtake of Charlie Murphy “shaking” in character is one of the five funniest videos on the internet.
Gusto, CB4
While Charlie Murphy wasn’t a bona fide movie star, he still gave us memorable characters like Gusto in CB4.
Stand-Up
Though it wasn’t what made him a star, Charlie Murphy’s standup was clever and wry, just like much of the rest of his comedy.
