Richard Pryor Suffers a Minor Heart Attack in Australia

Comedian Richard Pryor was in stable condition today in a Brisbane hospital after suffering a minor heart attack three days ago, hospital officials said.

Pryor was admitted Tuesday to Wesley Hospital after complaining of chest pains, according to hospital spokeswoman Janice Wyatte. She said doctors diagnosed a “minor heart attack” after conducting tests on the 49-year-old entertainer. She said Pryor has been in “very stable condition” since his admission, and has suffered no complications.

Hospital doctors expect to release Pryor by early next week, Wyatte said. She said he was visiting Brisbane, 600 miles north of here, on vacation.

Pryor recovered from an earlier heart attack while visiting his grandmother in Peoria, Ill., in late 1977. In the past, the stand-up comic-actor has suffered from addictions to drugs and alcohol.

In June, 1980, he nearly died after he caught fire while free-basing cocaine.