Redd Foxx

Born John Elroy Sanford around December 9, 1922, Redd Foxx experienced a challenging early life, including being deserted by his father at age four. A mischievous child, he left school at 13 to form a wash tub band, marking the beginning of a hardscrabble adolescence. By 1939, his musical group, the Bon Bons, traveled to New York, where Foxx honed his craft playing in subways, on street corners, and in Harlem clubs. It was in New York that he adopted the stage name Redd Foxx, a nod to his red hair and stylish demeanor, and he supported himself by working various jobs, including a brief period of incarceration on Rikers Island. During this time, he roomed with Malcolm Little, later known as Malcolm X, who described Foxx as "the funniest dishwasher on this earth." Foxx's comedy career gained momentum when he teamed with Slappy White in 1941, performing on the East Coast's "chitlin' circuit." His talent caught the attention of recording executive Dootsie Williams in Los Angeles, leading to successful comedy albums like "Laff of the Party," which sold millions despite Foxx's later claims of financial exploitation. By the early 1960s, Foxx was a fixture at the Apollo Theater and began appearing on "The Tonight Show," which opened doors to Las Vegas engagements and a lucrative contract by 1970. His minor role in the 1969 film "Cotton Comes to Harlem" impressed television producers Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, who cast him in the lead role of Fred G. Sanford for the sitcom "Sanford and Son." The show, which premiered in 1973, became a cultural phenomenon, making Foxx a household name and a symbol of black humor. He insisted on naming his character Fred G. Sanford in tribute to his late brother and refused to mimic black dialect, aiming to use the show to challenge prejudice. Despite his immense financial and popular success, Foxx became known for his demanding nature and left the show in 1976, though subsequent television ventures were less successful. He continued to perform in nightclubs and appeared in the 1989 film "Harlem Nights." In his later years, Foxx faced significant financial difficulties, including a nearly $3 million debt to the IRS that resulted in the seizure of his possessions. He died on October 11, 1991, at the age of 68, from a heart attack on the set of his new sitcom, "The Royal Family," with cast members initially mistaking his collapse for one of his characteristic pranks.