Perhaps one of the funniest people in the entertainment world was Redd Foxx. His birth name was John Elroy Sanford, and he was born in 1922. When he was a teenager, Sanford got his start in comedy. While performing in Harlem, he obtained the name Red. He got this name because his complexion looked red. After people started calling him by that name, he changed the spelling to Redd. He also added the last name of Foxx because of one of his favorite baseball players. This helped to make the stage name that Sanford used a bit more unique. Foxx was a popular name in many households in the 50s and 60s. In the 80s, he starred in “Sanford and Son,” which led to even more people paying attention to his comedy routines. While on the show, Foxx played a father who operated a junk business with his son. While there were quite a few confrontations on the show, the two still showed that they supported and loved each other.
When the show ended, Foxx was able to make guest appearances on numerous television shows as well as regularly appearing on stages across Las Vegas. While he was alive, he brought the joy and laughter to homes that many people needed at the time. When he died in 1991, his fans were heartbroken as they mourned the loss of a comedy legend. While he was on stage, Foxx mentored several young people who wanted to work in the comedy industry. He won awards for his routines and enjoyed making millions of people across the country and the rest of the world laugh. Since he was so popular, many people thought that he had money saved for when he needed it, especially when he died. However, he didn’t have much money at all when he did pass away.
Even though Foxx didn’t have a lot of money, he still got the funeral that his fans knew that he deserved. It happened in large part because of Eddie Murphy. In the 80s, Foxx starred in a movie with Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. “Harlem Nights” is still a well-known movie in today’s time. Foxx worked so much, but he never really received the money that he deserved for his performances. When Murphy found out that he didn’t have the money saved for his funeral, he offered to pay the expenses. Foxx had been Murphy’s mentor when he was younger. Murphy explained that many of the people who performed comedy routines in the 50s and 60s didn’t weren’t paid like today’s comedians and other actors, which meant that they were often living paycheck to paycheck until they died. Foxx was working on “The Royal Family” when he passed away.
