The official cause of death of legendary comedian Richard Lewis was revealed on Friday when his death certificate was made public.
Lewis died Tuesday evening at the age of 76 after reportedly suffering a heart attack while battling Parkinson’s disease.
Three days later a copy of his death certificate was obtained by The explosion listed the cause of death as “cardiac arrest.”
Parkinson’s disease, which prompted Lewis to retire after his diagnosis in April 2023, was noted as his secondary cause of death.
The news emerged after Lewis’ widow shared her appreciation for the numerous “loving tributes” from his fans in a social media post on Thursday.
Legendary comedian Richard Lewis’ official cause of death was revealed on Friday when his death certificate was made public; pictured 2011
Lewis died Tuesday evening at the age of 76 after reportedly suffering a heart attack while battling Parkinson’s disease
Joyce Lapinsky, who tied the knot with the stand-up star in 2005, shared a post via her late husband’s account on X (formerly Twitter).
It arrived just hours after the Curb Your Enthusiasm star reportedly died of a heart attack at home at the age of 76.
‘This is Joyce, Richard’s wife. Thank you for your loving tribute,” she wrote. “He would be extremely excited and moved, just like me.”
Many of Lewis’s fans sought to make donations in his honor as stories of his kindness and positive impact on friends like Jamie Lee Curtis, so his widow shared a way they could honor his life and work.
“In response to many questions, I know Richard would appreciate donations in his memory to the Los Angeles-based charity comedygivesback.com or a charity of your choice,” she added.
Comedy Gives Back is a registered charity that provides financial assistance to struggling comedians, including payments to cover insurance premiums and rent.
It also advertises that it helps comedians find and pay for mental health treatment, and offers a service that provides an alternative to health insurance for low-income, uninsured comedians.
Comedians also have access to addiction treatment and the charity boats that offer weekly 12-step meetings in Los Angeles, as well as holding gatherings and comedy festivals for comedians on the road.
Joyce Lapinsky (R), Lewis’ widow, shared a message to his fans on his X account on Thursday following his death at age 76 from a heart attack; seen in 2018 in LA
She thanked fans for “loving tributes” and said Lewis would be “extremely excited and moved, just like me.” She urged fans to donate to Comedy Gives Back, a charity he supported
The organization held an important place for Lewis, who is currently listed as a member of the ‘talent board’, along with Caroline Rhea and Howie Mandel.
Following Lapinsky’s post, the charity was flooded with donations in honor of the Latin comedian.
Lewis had been open over the years about his decades-long battle with alcohol and drug addiction.
He credited 1994 as the year he finally got sober after being hospitalized due to a cocaine overdose.
That was also the year his friend John Candy died of a heart attack at the age of 43 after struggling with drug and alcohol abuse for years.
Lewis has been open about his decades-long battle with drug and alcohol addiction. He got sober in 1994 after being hospitalized for a cocaine overdose; seen in 2015 in NYC
Lewis and Lapinsky were introduced at a party for Ringo Starr in 1998, and started dating shortly after. The two got engaged in 2004; seen in 2018 in LA
Lewis co-starred with Candy in his last film, the Western comedy Wagons East, which required a significant rewrite of the script and had to rely on a body double for scenes not filmed before Candy’s death during production.
While fans of Lewis’ sketch comedy or his dozens of appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm were likely familiar with his jokes about his romantic life and fear of intimacy, he was dating or married to Lapinsky for much of that time.
The future couple was introduced in 1998 when they both attended an album release party for Ringo Starr.
In a 2010 interview with Paul Freeman, Lewis revealed that a mutual friend had tried to set the two together years earlier when he starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in the sitcom Anything But Love, but Lapinsky had turned them down because she thought he ‘crazy’ at the time.
But after working on his addiction issues, she was more receptive during their 1998 meeting.
“I suspected she was Italian and 33,” Lewis recalled of their first important meeting. “She said, ‘Let’s nip this in the bud. I’m 42. I’m a Jew from Minnesota. So if you’re worried about that… And if kids are important…’ sense it.”
It was a chance meeting for Lewis, as he said he could “finally commit to someone.”
Lewis remembered his therapist yelling at him, “This is as good as it gets!” after bringing Lapinsky to his session to share his concerns about the relationship. They married in 2005; seen in 2018 in LA
“I met the right woman at the right time,” he added.
The couple dated for several more years and only became engaged in 2004 after Lewis took Lapinsky to one of his therapy sessions, during which he said his therapist shouted, “This is as good as it gets!” after sharing some of his concerns about the relationship.
The lovebirds married in 2005 and Lapinsky was with Lewis until the end.
Before his death, Lewis changed his home’s default mortgage to a lease transfer trust deed, which would make it easier for her to continue living in their home without him, according to the New York Post.