Eddie Murphy Paid to Bury Rick James and Bought a Tombstone for Buckwheat

Eddie Murphy reveals the celebrities and friends he’s paid to bury in a new documentary.

In Being Eddie, the Netflix documentary which follows the legendary comedian’s life and iconic career, Murphy, 64, reveals he has paid for a few of his friends’ burials and a tombstone.

Murphy recalls paying to bury singer Rick James and comedian Redd Foxx, as well as buying a tombstone for William Thomas Jr., the actor who played Buckwheat in The Little Rascals classic film series. 

“When Redd kicked out, I had to bury Redd. I had to bury Redd. I had to bury Rick. I bought Buckwheat a tombstone. Buckwheat didn’t have no tombstone,” Murphy says in the film. “I’m always burying these people.”

Redd Foxx died from a heart attack at the age of 68 on Oct. 11, 1991. The two comedians worked together on the 1989 crime comedy Harlem Nights with actor Richard Pryor. 

James, whose real name was James Ambrose Johnson Jr., died on Aug. 6, 2004, of heart failure at the age of 56. Best known for his 1981 funk standard “Super Freak,” he collaborated with Murphy on “Party All the Time,” Murphy’s 1985 single that went to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Thomas died on Oct. 10, 1980, at the age of 49. On the first anniversary of his death, Murphy debuted his Buckwheat impersonation on Saturday Night Live as a tribute to the late actor. 

“It tripped me out, these people you… show business and all that, and then when they pass away, there’s not even the money to bury these people? Where are their families? Where are these people? It’s a lot of people like that,” Murphy says.

Despite this, in a recent interview with USA Today, Murphy said, “I’ve paid for a lot of funerals, but I don’t go to funerals.” The only funerals Murphy said he’s attended have been for his biological father, Charles Edward Murphy, and his stepfather, Vernon Lynch. 

Also in the documentary, Murphy discusses his relationship with Redd Foxx and the time they spent together on the set of Harlem Nights. 

“Redd was just funny effortlessly. I love Redd,” Murphy says. 

“To work with somebody you idolize… On the outside, I’m unflappable. On the inside, I was like… ‘Ahh!’ ” Murphy says. “When we were doing Harlem Nights, I wanted to do a movie with some of my old heroes.” Della Reese and Arsenio Hall were also in the cast of the 1989 film.

Being Eddie is directed by Angus Wall and features appearances from Aresenio Hall, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Jamie Foxx, Jerry Seinfeld, Kenan Thompson, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Tracy Morgan and more. 

The documentary celebrates Murphy “and his nearly 50-year career that’s seen him break barriers, invent genres, and inspire generations of talent,” the synopsis says. 

Being Eddie is now streaming on Netflix.