'Dolemite' Comedian Rudy Ray Moore Dead at 81

Comedian Rudy Ray Moore, better known as the affluent pimp Dolemite from the 1975 film ‘Dolemite’, has passed away in his Ohio home at the age of 81.Moore, whose actual name was Rudolph Frank Moore, passed away Sunday from complications of diabetes, his only child and daughter, Yvette “Rusty” Wesson, told us.

Rudy Ray Moore was also known as the “king of the party records” and released many comedy records throughout the 1960s and 1970s, developing a style even more rude and explicit than contemporaries like Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor. This kept him off of television and major films, but cultivated an enduring fan base. He also guested on Big Daddy Kane’s CD Taste of Chocolate, released in 1990.

The 2 Live Crew used Rudy Ray Moore’s records as scratch samples on their early work; most notably on “Throw The Di*k.”Dolemite is survived as well by his mother Lucille who is 98-years-old.