Richard Lewis, the well-known comic actor from HBO’s ”Curb Your Enthusiasm,” has died

Richard Lewisone of America’s most beloved comedians, who also played a fictional version of himself in ‘‘ Curb Your HBO’s Enthusiasmdied last night at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack. She was 76 years old.

His death was confirmed by his publicist Jeff Abraham. Lewis was living with the Parkinson’s diseasea diagnosis that he revealed in April 2023.

“His wife, Joyce Lapinsky“Thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time,” Abraham said.

Who was Richard Lewis

Born Richard Philip Lewis on June 29, 1947 in Brooklyn and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, Lewis, after a childhood he would describe as difficult, graduated from Ohio State University before landing in the New York and Los Angeles comedy scenes of the 1970s. There, she took his place alongside future stars like Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer and Elayne Booslerand quickly became a late-night show favorite, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Self-deprecating, sharp, and brutally honest about his addictions and neuroses, Lewis was the rare comedian who could rival the cantankerous but highly relatable view of life honed by his old friend and co-star in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David.

Making his acting debut in the 1979 NBC special, Diary of a Young Comica 90-minute film broadcast in the Saturday Night Live slot, Lewis’s national profile grew significantly over the next two decades as his bold observations were welcomed and celebrated by hosts. David Letterman, Jay Leno and, on the radio, Howard Stern.

Although his humor did not fit easily into the sitcoms of the time, he co-starred for several seasons in the late ’80s and early ’90s with Jamie Lee Curtis in Anything but Love and with Don Rickles in Daddy Dearest 1993. In 1998 he co-starred with Kevin Nealon the comedy Hiller and Diller.

His film credits include Robin Hood: Men in Tights from 1993, in which he played Prince John, and Drunks 1995. Also that year he appeared in Leaving Las Vegas.

Lewis began what would arguably be his signature role (based, appropriately, on himself) in 2000, when his childhood friend Larry David cast him in Curb Your Enthusiasm from HBO. The two New Yorkers met at summer camp when they were 12 and rekindled their friendship on the New York comedy circuit a decade later.

Although He largely retired from acting after his Parkinson’s diagnosisreturned to Curb periodically, most recently during the show’s current (and final) season.

In addition to his many years playing comedy clubs around the country (he titled his seemingly endless tour Tracks of My Fears tour), Lewis wrote two memoirs: The Other Great Depression (2000) and, with co-author Carl Nicholas Titolo, Reflections from Hell: Richard Lewis’ Guide to How Not to Live (2015).

Larry David’s publication after Lewis’ death

Larry David offered a tribute to his old co-star and friend of ”Curb Your Enthusiasm”, Richard Lewis.

“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he has been like a brother to me,” David wrote in a statement Wednesday, shared by HBO. “He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me cry and I will never forgive him for that.”

Jamie Lee Curtiswho co-starred with Lewis on ABC’s four-season comedy series “Anything but Love” in the early ’90s, also paid tribute to the late comedian on Wednesday via an Instagram post.

“Richard’s last message to me was in hopes that he could convince ABC/Disney to release another set of episodes of the show,” Curtis wrote. “He’s also the reason I’m sober. He helped me. I will be forever grateful to him just for that act of grace. He found love in Joyce and that, of course, along with his sobriety, is what mattered most to him. I’m crying as I write this. Strange way to thank a sweet and funny man. Rest in laughter, Richard. My Marty, I love you, Hannah!

HBO also issued a statement following the news of Lewis’ death.

“We are heartbroken to learn that Richard Lewis has passed away. “His comedic brilliance, wit and talent were unmatched,” a network spokesperson said. “Richard will always be a beloved member of the HBO and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ families, our deepest condolences to his family, his friends and all the fans who could count on Richard to brighten his days with laughter.” .

“Richard Lewis was part of a changing of the guard in stand-up history during the 1970s; “His work exemplified and anticipated the deeply personal, raw, introspective and yes, neurotic tone that has come to color much of contemporary comedy,” said Journey Gunderson, executive director of the National Comedy Center. “His influence on this art form was profound and we are proud to preserve his lasting contribution to the legacy of comedy.”