Paul Mooney has sadly died at the age of 79 after suffering a sudden heart attack, his publicist has confirmed.
The actor, who was nicknamed the Godfather of Comedy, was best known as a writer for comedian Richard Pryor, playing singer Sam Cooke in The Buddy Holly Story in 1978 and Junebug in Bamboozled in 2000, and his appearances on Chappelle's Show.
Mooney - whose real name was Paul Gladney - was at his home in Oakland, California with his family when he passed away.
He was pronounced dead at 5:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday 19 May, with his representative, Cassandra Williams, saying: "It just happened.”
She added to The Sun: "He was with family in his home. It was very sudden."
Cassandra claimed paramedics attempted to revive Mooney after they arrived to the scene, but they were unsuccessful.
She also insisted he had no known health issues before the heart attack struck.
Mooney's official Twitter account also confirmed the sad news, with someone posting: "Thank you all from the bottom of all of our hearts ...you’re all are the best!...... Mooney World ...The Godfather of Comedy.
"ONE MOON MANY STARS! .. .To all in love with this great man... many thanks."
Journalist Roland Martin also posted about Mooney's death, writing: "Comedic legend Paul Mooney has passed away.
"His cousin, Rudy Ealy, just called me from Paul's phone and said he passed away two hours ago after suffering a heart attack at his home in Oakland. He was 79."
Tributes have been circulating on social media, with Comedy Central tweeting: "He was brutally funny and brutally honest. Thank you, Paul Mooney."
Funch, the host of Chopped 420, wrote: "RIP to the legend 'miss thang' Paul Mooney. I learned so much from you it was a weird but wonderful experience to meet you."
Mooney became a ringmaster with the Gatti-Charles Circus. During his stint as ringmaster, he always found himself writing comedy and telling jokes, which later helped him land his first professional work as a writer for Richard Pryor.
