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- Richard Pryor's 7 Children: All About His Sons and Daughters</p>
<p>Julie TremaineJuly 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM</p>
<p>Getty; Randy Brooke/Getty</p>
<p>Richard Pryor; Richard Pryor Jr. and Rain Pryor.</p>
<p>Comedian Richard Pryor had seven children: Renee, Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Rain, Steven, Mason and Kelsey</p>
<p>His children grew up primarily with their mothers</p>
<p>They have paid tribute to him over the years</p>
<p>Richard Pryor was a legendary comedian, but to his seven children — including Renee, Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Rain, Steven, Mason and Kelsey — he was also known as "Dad."</p>
<p>Pryor, who died in 2005 of a heart attack, had seven children with six women. His first daughter, Renee Pryor, was born in 1957 with a girlfriend named Susan when Pryor was 17 years old. He was married to Patricia Price from 1960 to 1961, welcoming son Richard "Richie" Pryor Jr. in 1962. Elizabeth Pryor was born in 1967 to Pryor and girlfriend Maxine Silverman. In 1967, the comic married Shelly Bonis; they welcomed daughter Rain Pryor in 1969, divorcing that same year.</p>
<p>In 1984, Pryor welcomed son Stephen with wife Flynn LeBaine, followed by daughter Kelsey in 1987. That same year, Pryor also had son Franklin Mason — who now goes by Mason Pryor — with girlfriend Geraldine Mason.</p>
<p>Pryor — who was unafraid of confronting his personal struggles, including substance abuse, in his work — frequently left home to tour. As a result, his children were primarily raised by their mothers, his children have shared over the years.</p>
<p>"When he was a dad, he was a magnificent man," Rain told Good Morning America in 2005.</p>
<p>"There were times when he let us down, but we have great memories of him," she added. "And when you see how much this has affected the country, when strangers come up to me on the street and hug me and tell me how much they loved my dad, you realize he not only touched me and my family, but so many other lives."</p>
<p>While Renee, Steven and Kelsey live their lives out of the spotlight, Pryor's other children — Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Rain and Mason — have all paid tribute to their dad over the years. Here's everything to know about Richard Pryor's children: Renee, Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Rain, Steven, Mason and Kelsey.</p>
<p>The kids grew up primarily with their mothers</p>
<p>Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty</p>
<p>Richard Pryor and Rain Pryor during the "Dreamgirls" afterparty.</p>
<p>Over the years, some of Pryor's children have opened up their father coming in and out of their lives.</p>
<p>Richie grew up in Peoria, Ill., with his mother, he wrote in his memoir In a Pryor Life. When Richie was 4 months old, the comedian left Illinois for New York City to pursue his career, not returning until Richie was 3.</p>
<p>While he was in N.Y.C., Pryor met Silverman, who became pregnant with Elizabeth. The couple reportedly split shortly after Elizabeth's birth, and she grew up with her mother in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Growing up, Rain also lived with her mother, Price, in L.A. In his book, Richie wrote that he met his sisters Rain and Elizabeth in L.A. when he was 11 years old. He also recalled several international trips with Pryor, Rain and Elizabeth.</p>
<p>Talking to PEOPLE in 1978, Pryor reflected on one of those trips. "Last summer I took them all to Europe. I'm not going to make that mistake again," he said. "There was just not enough Daddy to go around."</p>
<p>Geraldine Mason raised Mason in Columbus, Ohio. When the boy was young, Geraldine sued Pryor for child support, per UPI.</p>
<p>He was open with his children about his addictions</p>
<p>Randy Brooke/Getty</p>
<p>Rain Pryor and Richard Pryor Jr. in 2015.</p>
<p>Talking to PEOPLE in 2022, Rain recalled how her father's vulnerability about his addictions affected her.</p>
<p>"If he was doing drugs, it would be like, 'I'm doing cocaine, don't you ever do it!" she said. "I was the kid that would show up with the big 'just say no to drugs' signs and leaving condoms on his bed for safe sex."</p>
<p>"My dad was honest and open about who he was, and his demons and his addictions," she continued. "We were living it, we were going through it with him, so nothing was a surprise."</p>
<p>Still, Pryor was a strict father, with Rain telling The New York Times in 2012 that his children had to "cook, clean" and "act right in school."</p>
<p>"I dyed my hair pink when I was 13, and my dad threatened to kick me out of the house," she said. "He was like, 'There will be no punk rockers here.' "</p>
<p>Rain is an actress</p>
<p>Getty</p>
<p>Richard Pryor and Rain Pryor on 'Chicago Hope.'</p>
<p>Rain followed in her father's Hollywood footsteps. She first broke through playing T.J. Jones on the 1980s sitcom Head of the Class, but quickly took on more dramatic roles, especially on stage.</p>
<p>"I wanted people to see a softer side, a dramatic side. I'm not just a comedic actress," she told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. "The industry has [made] me a comedic actress because of the last name."</p>
<p>Rain and Pryor even worked together on the small screen; in 1995, they appeared in an episode of Chicago Hope. The storyline — of a daughter and her father searching for a treatment for his multiple sclerosis (MS) — hit close to home for both of them: Pryor was diagnosed with MS in 1986 and stopped performing as his disease progressed.</p>
<p>"I just get teary 'cause it's so real ... now I can't have denial about it," Rain told the Los Angeles Times in 1995. "He really does have it. I watch him struggle and work through it and it's pretty powerful."</p>
<p>In addition to acting, Rain is also a singer, songwriter, playwright and author. In 2003, she debuted her one-woman autobiographical show, Fried Chicken and Latkes, in L.A., eventually moving to N.Y.C. for an off-Broadway run. The show discussed her experiences as a half-Black, half-Jewish woman.</p>
<p>"I really wanted to tell a story about me, so people would get to know who I am," she told WNYC in 2013. "But at the same time really talk about things that were important to me. And, race was always such a big issue for me, and still is, especially in our country."</p>
<p>Richie is an actor and writer</p>
<p>Richard Pryor Jr./Instagram</p>
<p>Richard Pryor Jr.</p>
<p>Like Rain, Richie is also involved in the entertainment industry, working behind the scenes on films like The Color Purple and Bustin' Loose. In front of the camera, he most recently starred in the holiday film Brewster's Millions: Christmas.</p>
<p>Elizabeth is a professor</p>
<p>Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor/instagram</p>
<p>Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor.</p>
<p>Elizabeth is a history professor at Smith College in Amherst, Mass., focusing on "19th-century U.S. history and race," according to her bio. In 2016, she published her book Colored Travelers: Mobility and the Fight for Citizenship before the Civil War.</p>
<p>"I'm committed to both teaching & learning," she captioned a selfie on Instagram in March 2021. "I'm particularly interested in questions of citizenship, race and racism and the history of U.S. slavery, looking carefully at how enslaved people's histories are remembered and who remembers them. My students raise questions that lead me to interrogate my own understanding & my experience as a biracial woman in the United States also inspires my scholarship."</p>
<p>She's also known for her 2020 TED Talk, "Why It's So Hard to Talk About the N-Word," which is the subject of her next book.</p>
<p>Mason is a stand-up comic</p>
<p>FOX Image Collection/Getty</p>
<p>Mason Pryor performs in 'Showtime at the Apollo.'</p>
<p>Pryor's youngest son is a stand-up comic, just like his dad.</p>
<p>"Pretty much wherever I can get my hands on a mic, I'm going," he told The State Journal-Register in 2009. "When you hear that name, who's going to say 'no' to that? So, that has helped me out."</p>
<p>"I was always really shy and afraid to do comedy at first. It's like being Michael Jordan's son and playing basketball," he added.</p>
<p>They have paid tribute to him over the years</p>
<p>Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor/Instagram</p>
<p>Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor and Richard Pryor.</p>
<p>Since his death, some of Pryor's children have celebrated their father. In February 2022, Rain penned a tribute to Pryor for PEOPLE.</p>
<p>"I was always close to Daddy," she said. "I was a daddy's girl. I never saw him as Richard Pryor until I was older. He was just a dad. Was he good at it? Sometimes, no, he wasn't. But he was mine."</p>
<p>A few months later on Dec. 1, 2022, Elizabeth posted a sweet birthday shout-out to Pryor on Instagram.</p>
<p>"Happy Birthday, Dad," she captioned the photo of the two of them many decades ago. "You are so missed. You'll be on my mind today, as you are all day every day. Love, Dizzy Liz."</p>
<p>on People</p>
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