Eddie Murphy Paid For Redd Foxx's Funeral And Purchased His Headstone After Comedian Died Penniless

Apr 17, 2020

Eddie Murphy has had a long-spanning career and made many famous friends along the way. He was close with fellow comedian Redd Foxx, and recently opened up about paying for his funeral after he passed away.

Eddie sat down with Vanity Fair in January 2020 to speak about his recent movie "Dolemite Is My Name" which is a biographical movie about an actor named Rudy Ray Moore and the true story of his attempts to become famous.

The interviewer mentions the fact that Eddie gives a shout-out to Redd Foxx in the movie and tells him, "We were close, and I did love Redd Foxx."

Eddie reveals in the interview that a lot of people in show business don't have their affairs in order when they die. To help out his dear friend Redd Foxx after he died, he paid for the funeral and the headstone at his gravesite. IMDb confirms that when Foxx's widow couldn't pay for the funeral and Eddie ended up giving him a star-studded send-off.

Redd Foxx was the star of the hit 70s TV show "Sanford and Son," and also had a successful stand-up career in Las Vegas. He was born John Elroy Sanford in Missouri and passed away in 1991 at the age of 68 as per the Encyclopedia Brittanica. He and Eddie Murphy had appeared in the movie "Harlem Nights" together in 1989, only a few years before his passing. 

What a kindhearted gesture between friends. Were you a "Sanford and Son" fan back in the day? Be sure to pass this little-known fact on to others so that Eddie Murphy's generosity can be recognized.