R.I.P., Charlie Murphy: “I Wake Up Every Morning and I Am Ecstatic.”

Comedian Charlie Murphy passed away earlier today, April 12, in New York City. Murphy, who was 57 years old, had been struggling with leukemia; his wife, Tisha Murphy, died from cervical cancer in 2009. He’s survived by his three children.

An outpouring of grief has flooded social media, as friends and associates like Chris Rock, George Lopez and Gabrielle Union share their thoughts and fond memories. Though Murphy spent much of his early career in the shadow of his famous younger brother, Eddie, a series of appearances on Chappelle’s Show demonstrated his immense gifts as a raconteur and led to a thriving standup career.

Murphy was a regular fixture at Denver clubs and theaters, and he enjoyed those performances. When we interviewed him before a 2012 show at the Comedy Works, he told us, “I’m coming to have some more fun, and I get paid to do it, and I’m ecstatic. I wake up every morning and I am ecstatic.”

Read the complete Q&A with Charlie Murphy here.