Groundbreaking comedian Richard Pryor, whose stand-up routines about race, sex and life made him a modern day icon, is dead. He was 65.

Pryor died after being rushed to a hospital from his home shortly after 8 a.m. Pryor had suffered from multiple sclerosis, a disease of the nervous system.

Pryor's career had extreme highs and lows. He used his own life as fodder for his comedy routines and was often regarded as one of the most foul-mouthed comics in the business. However, fans responded well to the way he left himself completely open on stage and he gained a huge following early in his career.

Music super-producer Quincy Jones released a statement Saturday after Pryor's death was announced. "He was the Charlie Parker of comedy, a master of telling the truth that influenced every comedian that came after him. The legacy that he leaves will forever be with us."

One of the lowest moments of his career came in 1980 when he caught fire while freebasing cocaine. He used the intensely personal downfall in his comedy routines after the incident.

However, Pryor's career continued to soar in the 1970s and '80s with a string of hit movies, including: "Stir Crazy," "Hear No Evil, See No Evil," "Harlem Nights" "Brewster's Millions," "The Toy" and "Which Way Is Up?"

He was one of the first black actors who was able to negotiate his own deal, which resulted in a five-year contract with Columbia Pictures worth $40 million. He was one quoted as saying, "I live in racist America and I'm uneducated, yet a lot of people love me and like what I do, and I can make a living from it. You can't do much better than that."

Pryor influenced a new slew of comedians during his long career, including Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Chris Tucker, Eddie Griffin and more.

"I wish that every new and young comedian would understand what Richard was about and not confuse his genius with his language usage," comedian Bill Cosby said through a spokesman Saturday.

"I had some great things and I had some bad things. The best and the worst," he said in 1995. "In other words, I had a life."

Pryor is survived by his two sons, Richard and Steven, and his three daughters, Elizabeth, Renee and Rain.