Comedian and actor Charlie Murphy died of leukemia at the age of 57 on Wednesday (April 12), and it did not take long for his longtime collaborator Dave Chappelle to pay respects to his friend. Later that night, Chappelle took the stage at a John Mayer concert in Columbus, Ohio, joining the musician for a rendition of Mayer’s “You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me” in Murphy’s honor.
“Today, I got some terrible news,” Chappelle told the crowd after some introductory pleasantries and show hype. “My good friend, Charlie Murphy, passed away this morning, and everybody in comedy is heartbroken, so John, you are a sight for sore eyes… John, if you would, there was a night, maybe four months ago, where we were at Hotel Café in L.A. You were doing a show for 120 people. You went to the piano and you sang this song, and the song that you sang that night reminded me of my friend, Charlie Murphy — our friend, Charlie Murphy.”
Chappelle told the crowd to not record the performance, but we’re glad someone did. While many of us went home Wednesday to watch old clips of Chappelle’s Show — where Murphy starred on “True Hollywood Stories,” famously reciting old interactions with James Brown and Prince — it’s great to see Chappelle on stage honoring his friend. In the clip below, the two discussed Chappelle’s Show, and Mayer replied that Murphy’s “habitual line-stepper” comment remains one of his favorite quips ever, and that he uses it to this day.
“Rest in peace, Charlie Murphy,” Chappelle added. “We love you. We love your comedy… We love your stories, and we love your spirit.”
[h/t Esquire; featured photo via John Mayer’s Instagram.]