- By Madeline Halpert
- BBC News, New York
February 28, 2024
Updated 55 minutes ago
Image source: Getty Images
Stand-up comedian and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” co-star Richard Lewis has died at the age of 76.
He died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening after suffering a heart attack, his publicist Jeff Abraham said in a statement.
Lewis announced last April that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and was retiring from stand-up comedy.
Known for his self-deprecating humor, Lewis rose to fame in the 1980s.
The actor and author starred for years alongside Larry David on his HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” in which he played a semi-fictionalized version of himself.
He was most recently seen in the 12th season of the series, which is currently airing on HBO. The broadcaster said it was “heartbroken” to learn he had died.
“His comedic brilliance, wit and talent were second to none,” a spokesman told US media.
In a statement shared by Lewis' publicist, his wife, Joyce Lapinsky, said she “thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and requests privacy at this time.”
His co-star Larry David praised his friend in a statement shared by HBO to US media.
“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and he was like a brother to me for most of my life,” he said. “He had the rare combination of being the funniest and sweetest person at the same time. But today he made me cry and I will never forgive him for that.”
Lewis was born in Brooklyn and grew up in New Jersey. He made a name for himself in the 1970s by appearing in New York City clubs and on late-night television.
Nicknamed “The Prince of Pain,” Lewis was known for poking fun at his own neuroses and hypochondria during his comedy performances. Almost always dressed entirely in black, he once joked that he was the “Descartes of fear; I'm panicking, so I am.”
Lewis has also been open about his struggles with addiction and depression and has been sober for decades. His offbeat performance was well received by talk show hosts and Lewis became a favorite of late night legends David Letterman and Jay Leno.
Comedy Central named him one of the 50 best stand-up comedians of all time and GQ Magazine included him on its list of the most influential humorists of the 20th century.
In 1979, he made his acting debut in the NBC special Diary of a Young Comic. The film followed the satirical journey of a young comedian who wanted to make it in Los Angeles.
He appeared in numerous TV shows in the 1980s and 1990s, including the sitcom Anything but Love, in which he starred alongside Jamie Lee Curtis from 1989 to 1992.
But in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Lewis found his star role. At the premiere in 2000, he received much praise when he played a fictional version of himself.
Lewis had to take a break from starring in Season 11 of Curb Your Enthusiasm due to a series of surgeries.
“I had a difficult time,” he said last year when he announced the news of his diagnosis.
He added that he has undergone back, shoulder, shoulder and hip surgery. “I had four surgeries in a row… It was bad luck, but that's life.”
News of his death sparked a flood of tributes from numerous famous faces, including Daily Show host Jon Stewart, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines.
In a post on Instagram, Curtis called her former co-star “deep and so damn funny.”
“He’s also the reason I’m sober. He helped me. I am forever grateful to him just for that act of grace,” she said.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, fellow comedian Bill Burr called Lewis a “true original.”
“An absolutely fearless comedian who did and said whatever he wanted,” Burr wrote.