Comedian-actor Rudy Ray Moore dies at 81

AKRON, Ohio - Rudy Ray Moore, a raunchy 1970s comedian who played the title role of a flashy pimp in the movie "Dolemite" and influenced a generation of rappers, has died. He was 81.

Rudy Ray Moore was part of the heyday of black "party records." His stage personality featured blunt sex routines but, unlike contemporaries Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, he never crossed over to mainstream white audiences.

Moore played the fast-talking pimp and title character in the 1975 film "Dolemite." In later years, Moore collaborated with 2 Live Crew, Big Daddy Kane and Snoop Dogg.

Moore's other acting credits during the Blaxploitation era of black-action films included "The Human Tornado" in 1976 and "Disco Godfather" in 1979. *