Redd Foxx Died Broke & From A Heart Attack on 'Royal Family' TV Stage: A Look Back 33 Years Later

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It's been over three decades since comedian Redd Foxx and Sanford and Son star died of a heart attack on the set of his CBS series, The Royal Family. He was only 68 years old, and this is his story.

A Closer Look

Redd Foxx died at Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center nearly four hours after he collapsed at Paramount Studios during rehearsals for his TV show, The Royal Family.

Foxx initially found mainstream fame as Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son, which debuted on NBC in 1972, after years of the entertainer performing on the nightclub circuit.

On The Royal Family Foxx portrayed Al Royal, a retired Atlanta postman whose life changes when his adult daughter moves back home with her three children. For many viewers, however, the role was just a reprise as the cranky Fred G. Sanford, a name Foxx selected as a tribute to his brother who had died in 1968.

The Birth of a Foxx

Redd Foxx was born John Elroy Sanford in St. Louis, Mo. When he was 4, his father deserted the family, which included his mother.

In his youth, Foxx was kicked out of school for tossing a book at a teacher who had first tossed it at him. He quit high school after one year to form a washtub band with two pals, Lamont Ousley and Steve Trimel.

In 1939, the red-headed Foxx sought to become famous and ran away from home. He eventually met and befriended the also-then-red-headed Malcolm Little. John Sanford became "Chicago Red" and Little became "Detroit Red" at the Harlem restaurant where they were employed as dishwashers.

Chicago Red later added an extra “d” to Red and changed his last name to Foxx, because he fancied himself a stylish dresser.

Little later changed his name to Malcolm X and went on to make his own historical mark in the world. In his autobiography, X recalled Foxx as “the funniest dishwasher on this earth.”

A "Foxxy" Move

Following bawdy nightclub gigs in New York Redd Foxx moved to Hollywood in Hollywood in the 1950s and began recording his routines. By 1960, he was performing in Las Vegas, and in 1970 signed a three-year, $960,000 contract guaranteeing him 32 weeks a year in Las Vegas at $10,000 a week.

In 1969, Foxx was cast as a junk dealer in the movie Cotton Comes to Harlem, after which TV producers Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear signed him for Sanford and Son.

As with the duo's hit CBS series, All in the Family, Sanford and Son was adapted from a British TV show.

Switching Teams

In 1976, Redd Foxx left NBC to star in a failed ABC comedy-variety show. Three years later, Foxx reunited with NBC with a new Sanford sitcom, which also failed.

In 1989, Foxx starred with Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor in the Harlem Nights feature film.

His Sad Final Years

In his final years, Redd Foxx, once at the top of his game, faced economic and IRS issues. According to his official website, the day on the set of The Royal Family, co-star Della Reese bent over him and prayed, “Don’t die Redd...don’t die,” but it was too late. The world lost comedic genius Redd Foxx on October 11, 1991. Foxx’s albums stand as proof of his legacy as they continue to sell, topping out at over 15 million copies sold."