Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind the Making of “Lady Sings the Blues”
Richard Pryor
Pryor is the man who taught Ross how to pretend to be a junkie during filming since he had his own issues with drugs before passing away in 2005 from a heart attack. But Pryor wasn’t meant to be a significant character in the film originally. It was his line delivery of “Hey Jerry, give the girl a chance” that made him stand out to the crew. They created an extended role for him known as Piano Man.