A digital companion to the biography Becoming Richard Pryor
After seventy nine tumultuous years, Marie Carter Pryor Bryant passed away at the Methodist Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois.
Following one funeral at Morning Star Baptist Church in Peoria and another at The Church of the Living God in Decatur, Illinois, she was finally laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery in Decatur.
“Richard Pryor Joins Grieving Family For Grandmother’s Funeral,” Jet, Jan. 4, 1979.
In a high-stakes hostage standoff, the gunmen refused negotiations with anyone but Juliette Whittaker
Juliette Whittaker remembered gunman (and Black Panther) Melvin Burch as “a very gentle man”
Juliette Whittaker was praised for her bravery by the Chief of Police as a hostage negotiator in the line of fire
The Washington Post traveled to Peoria to take the pulse of the nation during the Watergate crisis
The US Commission on Civil Rights examined why a busing program hadn't alleviated segregation in Peoria's schools
A portrait of Peoria's economic struggles during Reagan's first term
A portrait of Peoria, "Anytown USA," during the 2013 federal budget battles
Marie won over the hearts — and stomachs — of Richard's LA circle
Jet's coverage of a central event in Richard Pryor's life — the loss of his “Mama”
An in-depth profile of the remarkable woman who first mentored Richard Pryor as an artist
“The artist part of me has always chosen a storytelling style,” explained Whittaker
After 80 years of living creatively, Whittaker peacefully passed away in 2007
At her funeral service in the Carver Community Center, Whittaker's gift for nurturing talent was fondly recalled
Juliette Whittaker was “my angel,” wrote Richard's childhood friend Matt Clark
A well-known hub for prostitution was demolished in 1979.
The last remains of Prarie Alley were demolished in 1980
An AP reporter's survey of a century of prostitution in Peoria
Did the lives of prostitutes change for the worse with reform?
The last remains of Peoria's red-light district became a parking lot for Caterpillar
Karen Connally, one of Peoria’s last madams, reflects.
Murray Baker bridge remembered at 40
Peoria's red light districts were once the playground of teenage boys