Richard Lewis, the actor from Curb Your Enthusiasm, has passed away at 76 after a tough fight with Parkinson’s disease. He was a star in Hollywood and made people laugh as an actor, writer, and comedian.
His publicist Jeff Abraham told Deadline: “His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
Lewis started his career in the 1970s in New York, telling jokes and making folks chuckle. He became a hit on shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
He found a second home at the Improv comedy club in New York. He said: “I was 23, and all kinds of stars were coming in and out and watching me, like Steve Allen and Bette Midler. David Brenner certainly looked after me. Knowing that Steve Allen said, ‘You got it,’ that kind of praise kept me pushing forward.”
He got into movies with ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ and then played Jimmy Epstein in ‘Drunks’, a film about battling addiction. He was also in ‘Daddy Dearest’ as Don Rickles’ son and played a rabbi on ‘7th Heaven.
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In April of last year, Lewis announced to the world that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which led to his decision to leave the stand-up comedy scene.
You might have seen him lately in Season 12 of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, currently showing on HBO.
In the year before, Lewis stated that he won’t be appearing on Season 11 of the series to take time out for recovering from three different surgeries.
Recalling his return, he said to the known outlet: “When I walked in and they applauded, I felt like a million bucks.”
He fondly remembered “Larry doesn’t like to hug, and he hugged me and told me how happy he was after we shot our scene.”
In his long career, the comic openly talked about his personal struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, often bringing up his journey to recovery and battles within his comedic performances.
He openly confessed that he was previously addicted to cocaine and crystal meth but decided to quit after being moved by the unfortunate passing away of John Candy in 1994.
Recently, Larry David touched upon his good friend’s ongoing health issues admitting he was saddened that his “great friend” couldnt attend the debut of the 12th season of their shared show.
In what became his last share on X, Richard held high praise for the show, exclaiming, “What a night!
I loved Episode 3 of #curbyourenthusiasm’. The tweet was posted on February 18.