Richard Lewis, Comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm Actor, Dead at 76
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The post Richard Lewis, Comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm Actor, Dead at 76 appeared first on Consequence.
Richard Lewis, the celebrated stand-up comedian and co-star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, has died at the age of 76.
Lewis died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 28th, after suffering a heart attack, his publicist confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Last April, Lewis announced his retirement from stand-up after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and undergoing multiple surgeries on his back, shoulder, and hip.
Lewis played a semi-fictionalized version of himself on Curb, appearing on the show throughout the duration of its run. He recently returned for the 12th and final season of the series after only appearing in one episode of the previous season.
Larry David, star of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Lewis’ lifelong friend, paid tribute to the comedian in a statement released shortly after his passing. “Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me. He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob, and for that I’ll never forgive him.”
Born June 29th, 1947 in Brooklyn, Lewis began doing stand-up comedy in Greenwich Village during the early 1970s. Within a few years, he made his first of many appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson before making his feature film debut in 1979’s Diary of a Young Comic. His self-deprecating and observational style especially made him a favorite among other comics.
By the 1980s and 1990s, Lewis was a regular on The Tonight Show and Late Show with David Letterman. Beginning with the 1985 Showtime special I’m in Pain, he went on a run of comedy specials followed by I’m Exhausted (1988), I’m Doomed (1990), and Richard Lewis: The Magical Misery Tour (1997).
After co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in the ABC sitcom Anything But Love from 1989 to 1992, Lewis made memorable film appearances in Robin Hood: Men in Tights as Prince John, Leaving Las Vegas as Peter, and Hugo Pool as Chick Chicalini.
In 1995, Lewis stepped into his first dramatic role as Jim in Drunks, playing a struggling alcoholic and drug addict. In real life, the comedian was open about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction, often drawing from those experiences in his stand-up.
Lewis is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.
Editor’s Note: Check out 5 Great Curb Your Enthusiasm Moments to Remember Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis, Comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm Actor, Dead at 76
Eddie Fu
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