Curb Your Enthusiasm star Richard Lewis dies as tributes pour in

28 February 2024 , 20:59

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Richard Lewis has died (Image: WireImage)

Richard Lewis, famed for his role in Curb Your Enthusiasm, has died at the age of 76.

The iconic actor sadly died last night at his home in Los Angeles after he suffered a heart attack. His death comes a year after it was revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

In April 2023, Richard revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease following a brain scan. His publicist Jeff Abraham announced the sad news of his death on Wednesday.

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Richard Lewis has died at the age of 76 (Getty Images)

He suffered a heart attack and died at his home (Getty Images)

In a statement shared with Deadline, Jeff said: "His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time." Tributes have been pouring in for Richard, with Bette Midler posting on X: "On a sad note, the great Richard Lewis has died."

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Comedian Albert Brooks added: "RIP Richard Lewis. A brilliantly funny man who will missed by all. The world needed him now. more than ever." Former professional basketball player Rex Chapman said: "Richard Lewis was an amazing man. What a life. We became friendly thru Twitter after I had been a fan my whole life. He would send friendly little messages from time to time over the past few years while he battled health issues. What a guy. Rest in peace, Richard."

Fans have also been left devastated by Richard's passing, with one person writing: "Richard Lewis was not just a comic but somebody left everything on the table. His vulnerability was simply charming. We lost a good one." Another fan said: "RIP richard lewis. His appearances on Curb were always hilarious," while a third added: "So sad to hear of Richard Lewis's passing. What a legend."

The actor starred alongside Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Richard had a hugely successful career as an actor, writer and comedian. He was a regular performer in clubs and on late-night TV for decades. He played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series Anything But Love and the neurotic Prince John in Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men In Tights.

He then re-introduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show's creator Larry David recently touched on his "great friend's" health struggles as he revealed Richard could not attend the season 10 premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which took place on January 31.

Richard then confirmed he wasn't up to making it in a post on X, writing: "I sure wish I was up to making the premiere. I would've loved to have shared all the love in the room with my wife. @HBO and LD made a dream come true for countless dreamers."

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2023 (HBO)

Richard was very close to his Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Larry David (FilmMagic)

Just 10 days ago, Richard took to X for the last time to praise Curb Your Enthusiasm. "What a night! I loved Episode 3 of #curbyourenthusiasm," he wrote.

Richard's death comes less than a year after he announced he had been battling Parkinson's disease. In April 2023, he said he had been battling the disease for two years.

"Luckily I got it late in life, and they say you progress very slowly if at all and I'm on the right meds and it's cool," he said at the time. "I just wanted you to know that that's where it's been at. I'm finished with stand-up, I'm just focusing on writing and acting. I have Parkinson's disease but I'm under a doctor's care and everything is cool and I love my wife, I love my little puppy dog and I love all of my friends and my fans."

Richard started his stand-up career after graduating from The Ohio State University in 1969. He honed his craft alongside the likes of Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze and Billy Crystal.

Richard was known for wearing all-black outfits (Getty Images)

He recalled Rodney Dangerfield hiring him for $75 (£60) to fill in at his New York club, Dangerfield's. "I had a lot of great friends early on who believed in me, and I met pretty iconic people who really helped me, told me to keep working on my material. And I never looked back," he told The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2010.

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Richard became known for dressing in all-black outfits. He told GQ that his signature look came incidentally after watching the television Western Have Gun - Will Travel as a child.

Comedy Central named Richard one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he earned a berth in GQ magazine's list of the 20th Century's Most Influential Humourists. He lent his humour for charity causes, including Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.

After getting sober from drugs and alcohol in 1994, Richard released his 2008 memoir, The Other Great Depression. His father died when he was young and his mother had emotional problems.

In his memoir, he said: " Looking back on it now, as a full-blown, middle-aged, functioning anxiety collector, I can admit without cringing that my parents had their fair share of tremendous qualities, yet, being human much of the day, had more than just a handful of flaws as well."

Chloe Stewart