Paul Mooney spent decades behind the scenes writing for such shows as Saturday Night Live, In Living Color and, along with his friend Richard Pryor, Sanford and Son starring Redd Foxx. He was 79.

Transcript

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Comedian Paul Mooney has died. He was a trailblazer who worked with comedy legends from Richard Pryor to Dave Chappelle. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has this appreciation. And we'll note that this story includes language that might be offensive to some listeners.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: Paul Mooney did not suffer fools. On "Chappelle's Show," he did a Q&A segment, where random people on the street would ask him questions. It was called Ask A Black Dude.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "CHAPPELLE'S SHOW")

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Can Black guys jump high?

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL MOONEY: Yeah, Black people can jump high. You got to jump, got to do something when you running from the police.

(LAUGHTER)

BLAIR: Another regular bit was called Mooney On Movies (ph). Two white women would sit next to him and gush about films, like "Gone With The Wind."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "CHAPPELLE'S SHOW")

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: It is a must-own, must-see movie. I highly recommend it.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: I couldn't agree with you more. I've actually seen "Gone With The Wind" 13 times since I was 10 years old - no kidding.

MOONEY: You must be on crack.

(LAUGHTER)

MOONEY: I don't think we're seeing the same movie. I thought Scarlett was a ho 'cause she went to bed with everybody but Mammy. I love Mammy. And Mammy was the best - the best scene in the movie is when Mammy told the white people, get off my porch, white trash.

BLAIR: Paul Mooney could be subversive and biting and barely raise his voice. He was born in Louisiana and raised in Oakland, Calif. He once worked as a circus ringmaster and tap danced. He collaborated with his friend Richard Pryor, and he did stand-up.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MOONEY: White folks made up [expletive] and don't want me to say it. You made it up. You shouldn't have made it up.

BLAIR: For years, Mooney used the N-word in his comedy, a lot. In fact, he made a point of it, as he told NPR in 1995.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

MOONEY: The N-word is here. It's no getting away from it. Not saying it is not going to make it go away. It never does. It's like a tumor. You can hide it and pretend like it's not there. And you - it'll become - it'll be your demise. So I figured dealing with the situation frees me from it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MOONEY: This white man's giving me that lack-eyed look. Well, this [expletive]'s sort of bright.

(LAUGHTER)

MOONEY: Clever.

(LAUGHTER)

MOONEY: Smarter than the average runaway.

BLAIR: In 2006, Mooney had a change of heart about the N-word when his friend, "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards, who is white, unleashed the word on Black hecklers during his stand-up. Mooney told NPR he was shocked when he saw a video of it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

MOONEY: This time, I had an out-of-body experience. I was outside of myself looking at me and looking at the word. And it was such a weapon. It was such a - I don't ever want anybody to have that power again. Also, I thought about it. And it's become an equal opportunity word because little Asian kids are using it. Little white kids are using it. Little Latin kids are using it. Little Black kids are using it. I don't want that to be that.

BLAIR: That might not have inspired other comedians to stop using the N-word, but he definitely made them think about it. He used his intellect to create a style that inspired generations of comedians. In a short video statement to TMZ, Dave Chappelle says Paul Mooney will be sorely missed and widely remembered. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.