Richard Belzer, the longtime star of NBC’s Law & Order series, has died at the age of 78, according to his friends and former colleagues.
Belzer died Sunday at his home in Bozouls, southwest France, writer Bill Scheft, a friend of the actor and veteran comedian, told .
“He had a lot of health issues and his last words were ‘F**k you, motherf***er,'” he told the news outlet.
Belzer played the role of John Munch in Homicide: Life on the Streets and Law & Order for 23 years beginning in 1993. The Connecticut-born comedian retired from acting in 2016 at the age of 71.
Universal Television and NBC issued a joint statement Sunday, offering their condolences.
“Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of watching Richard Belzer portray Det. John Munch – whether on ‘Homicide’ or ‘Law & Order: SVU’ – will never forget the extent to which he internalized this beloved character and made it his own for over four decades,” the statement said.
“His professionalism, talent and dedication to the craft made him a pillar in the industry, but it was his humor, compassion and loving heart that made him family.”
SVU creator Dick Wolf also paid tribute to Belzer in a statement to Variety.
“Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic figures,” said Mr. Wolf.
“It was my first time working with Richard on the ‘Law & Order’/’Homicide’ crossover and I was so excited about the character that I told Tom (Fontana) that I wanted to make him one of the original characters in ‘SVU.’ .
“The rest is history. Richard brought humor and joy to all of our lives, was the consummate professional and we will all miss him dearly.”
Belzer’s longtime girlfriend Laraine Newman, who worked with him on Saturday Night Live, took to Twitter to remember him.
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“I am so sad to hear of the passing of Richard Belzer. I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I came to New York to do SNL,” she tweeted.
“We used to go to Sheepshead Bay for dinner every week to eat lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master of crowd work. RIP love.”
Warren Leight, the SVU showrunner, also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Belzer and post a video of his final scene on the show.
“Richard Belzer was the first actor who welcomed me when I started at SVU. Open, warm, bitter, lashing, surprisingly friendly. I loved writing for Munch and I loved being with Belz. We suspected that this would be his farewell scene. Godspeed Belz…” he tweeted.
Julie Martin, an executive producer and writer for SVU, also paid tribute to the actor, tweeting heartbroken emojis.
“We miss Richard Belzer today. Working with him on Homicide to SVU was a hilarious, surprising, and always joyful experience. I’m sure he makes ’em all laugh upstairs,” she tweeted.
The character Munch has appeared in nine TV series across five networks, more than any other fictional character, according to Variety.
The character’s 22 seasons on television were two more than Marshall Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke or Frasier Crane in Cheers and Frasier.
Belzer has guest-starred as Munch on 3rd Rock From the Sun, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, The Wire, The X-Files and The Beat.
He is survived by his third wife, actress Harlee McBride, whom he married in 1985, and stepdaughters Jessica and Bree.