Richard Lewis has been confirmed to have died aged 76 after a year-long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Bette Midler was the first to break the news of the comedian's death on X, writing: “Sadly, the great Richard Lewis has died.”
Curb Your Enthusiasm star Lewis has had an illustrious career in Hollywood as an actor, writer and comedian.
Variety confirmed that Lewis died of a heart attack.
His publicist Jeff Abraham confirmed his death in a statement shared with Deadline: “His wife Joyce Lapinsky thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and requests privacy at this time.”
Curb Your Enthusiasm star and creator Larry David recently alluded to Richard's health issues, saying he was sad that his “buddy, my amazing friend” wasn't at the hit show's Season 10 premiere earlier this year on January 31 could be.
Actor Richard Lewis has died at the age of 76
Richard then confirmed in a tweet that evening that he wouldn't be able to make it there, writing: “I really wish I could have been up to the premiere.” I would have loved to share all the love in the room with my wife. @HBO and LD have made a dream come true for countless dreamers.'
In his last post on The tweet was posted on February 18th.
Lewis was born three days earlier than David, the creator of Curb Your Enthusiasm. They were born in the same city – Brooklyn – in 1947.
Lewis' credits include a long-running role as a fictional version of himself on the hit comedy series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” He returned for the series' twelfth and final season, which debuted this year.
Lewis also had roles in Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Daddy Dearest and others.
Richard began his comedy career in New York and Los Angeles in the late 1970s and quickly became a late-night TV darling on shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Last year he announced his retirement from stand-up after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. At that point, he had already been battling the disease for two years.
He told fans that he had endured a “rocky time” over the past three-and-a-half years, which included four consecutive surgeries on his back, shoulder and hip, and that he was told two years ago that he had been suffering from the progressive condition after seeking help when he “started to walk a little stiffly” and “shuffle” his feet.
Lewis played a fictional version of himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm; pictured with Larry David (left)
As a comedian, Lewis has had numerous comedy specials
In a video shared with X, he said: “Here’s really what happened. Three and a half years ago I was in the middle of a tour and finally finished it with one show. I said, 'You know I'm at the top.' “My game, after almost 15 years I'm giving it up,” and I was feeling great about it, and then out of the blue shit started rolling. I had four operations in a row, one after the other, It was unbelievable, I couldn't believe it, it was bad luck, but that's life…
“I went to a neurologist and they did a brain scan and I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and that was about two years ago.”
“I got it late in life and they say you progress very slowly, if at all.
“I just wanted you to know that this is it.
He returned for the series' twelfth and final season, which debuted this year; pictured with David in season 10
“I’m done with stand-up and am just concentrating on writing and acting. I have Parkinson’s disease, but I’m under medical treatment and everything is cool.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson's disease is “a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves.” Symptoms begin slowly.
“Tremors are common, but the disorder can also cause stiffness or slowing of movement,” the website says.