Dave Chappelle Vows To Keep Paul Mooney's Name Alive In Wake Of His Passing

GOATs honoring GOATs.

Source: Paul Hawthorne / Getty

Paul Mooney‘s death comes as a shock to all of us who remember his comedic genius fondly. The 79-year-old has such a rich history of not just telling jokes but telling the truth. The truth about himself, about Black people’s pain, about Amerikkka. His work will outlive all of us and we are the reason why. “We” includes Mooney’s friend and fellow comedian Dave Chappelle who spoke to TMZ today about how important the late, great, comic was to him and to comedy culture. He vowed that he will continue to uplift Mooney’s name to ensure that people always know his name.

As you likely know, Paul and Dave were very close and worked together regularly on classic episodes of Chappelle’s Show. Mooney appeared on timeless skits throughout the show’s history like his funny “Ask A Black Dude” segment and as the hilarious Negrodamus. TMZ caught up with Dave outside the SoHo Grand in New York City and got him to share some of what’s in his heart and in his head about his dear friend.

“…It’s a tough one. I want to shout out every comedian on Earth, the best whoever did it, paved the way today, his legacy will live forever. He did everything from Richard Pryor Show to Chappelle’s Show. He’s one of the first Black people ever in the Writers Guild. Paul Mooney will be sorely missed and wildly remembered. I’ll see to that.”

Peep the video below to watch the rest of Dave’s comments.

Rest in peace Paul Mooney.