Jamie Lee Curtis Remembers Longtime Friend Richard Lewis in Emotional Tribute: He 'Is the Reason I Am Sober'

Richard Lewis died at age 76 on Tuesday, 10 months after he went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis

Jamie Lee Curtis is remembering her friend and former Anything but Love costar Richard Lewis.

Following news of the actor’s death on Wednesday, Curtis, 65, shared a heartfelt tribute to the late star on Instagram.

“I've just read that my friend Richard Lewis has died,” she shared alongside several snapshots from the sitcom. “I remember exactly where I was when I saw a billboard of him about a stand up special on Sunset Boulevard when we were casting the ABC pilot Anything But Love and asked the casting people to bring him in to audition to play my best friend/maybe boyfriend, Marty Gold.”

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The Everything Everywhere All at Once star recalled thinking Lewis was “handsome,”  adding, “He made me laugh, which is the one thing that a strong, capable woman, can't really do for herself. He got the part when I snort laughed when he mispronounced the word Bundt cake.”

“He blew everyone else away,” she remembered. “It was a love triangle show and they didn't pick up that pilot but they came back to me and said that the chemistry with Richard was so great and could we revamp the original pilot which is the show we ended up making for a couple years.”

Anything but Love — which ran for four seasons from 1989 to 1992 — chronicled Marty Gold (Lewis) and Hannah Miller (Curtis) as they navigated their mutual romantic attraction while working together at a Chicago magazine.

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“He was also a stand-up comic and hated the live audience, where I, who had never done a play, loved it,” Curtis shared. “He used to hide his lines everywhere on the set, on props, door frames, on my face in a close up and was always carrying a clipboard with his lines on them. It turns out he was a wonderful actor. Deep and so freaking funny.”

The Halloween star concluded her tribute on a personal note while reflecting on the loss of their costar Richard Frank and producer John Ritter.

“We went through the death of our friend and costar, Richard Frank, together and grieved the loss of our producer and friend, John Ritter,” she wrote. “Richard's last text to me, was hoping that I could convince ABC/Disney to put out another boxed set of episodes of the show.”

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She also credited the late actor with her sobriety, writing, “He also is the reason I am sober. He helped me. I am forever grateful for him for that act of grace alone. He found love with Joyce and that, of course, besides his sobriety, is what mattered most to him. I'm weeping as I write this. Strange way of saying thank you to a sweet and funny man. Rest in laughter, Richard. My Marty, I love you, Hannah!”

Lewis' rep Jeff Abraham confirmed the news of Lewis' death at age 76 in a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday.

"Comedian/Actor Richard Lewis passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles last night after suffering a heart attack," the statement read. "His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time."

Lewis had previously announced his Parkinson’s diagnosis in April 2023 after dealing with it privately since 2021, retiring from his comedy career as a result.

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In addition to Anything but Love, Lewis was known for his trademark self-deprecating humor, which he showed in countless standup performances and TV and film roles. He held a long-standing role on Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm, appearing in more than 40 episodes between 2000 and 2021. He was also known for being a regular guest on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show.

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