LOS ANGELES – Richard Lewis, the beloved stand-up comedian and star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” has died, his publicist announced.
Lewis, 76, died Tuesday evening at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham.
Lewis revealed in April that he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Joyce Lapinsky, Lewis’ wife, “thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time,” Abraham said in a statement.
Lewis stars in the final season of Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on HBO.
David said Wednesday he was mourning the death of his lifelong friend.
“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he has been like a brother to me. He had the rare combination of being the funniest and sweetest person,” David said in a statement. “But today he made me sob and I will never forgive him.”
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, Lewis first tried his hand at stand-up in New York City in the early 1970s – alongside the likes of Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer, and Elayne Boosler – before he made a career of it when comedian David Brenner discovered him. By the middle of the decade, he had already appeared on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’.
He was immediately recognized as a dark comedian, literally and figuratively, known for wearing all-black outfits and regularly performing self-loathing sets about his neuroses and addictions.
Lewis made his TV debut with “Diary of a Young Comic,” a 90-minute film that replaced “Saturday Night Live” on NBC in 1979, but he rose to prominence with his continued late-night appearances in the 1970s. ’80. and the ’90s.
He became a bona fide rock star of the comedy world during those decades, starring in multiple stand-up specials on Showtime and HBO, while making high-profile appearances in specials such as Comic Relief’s charity fundraisers.
He co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in the sitcom “Anything but Love,” which aired from 1988 to 1992, before landing roles in a few short-lived sitcoms and films in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
In a tribute on Instagram, Curtis said Lewis “blew everyone else away” during his audition and “got the part when I snorted and laughed when he mispronounced the word Bundt cake.”
“It turns out he was a great actor. Deep and so very funny,” Curtis said. She said his last text to her was an attempt to convince ABC and Disney executives to release another set of episodes of the show.
Curtis also said that Lewis was the reason she was sober.
‘He helped me. “I am forever grateful to him just for that act of grace,” she said. ‘I’m crying as I write this. Strange way to say thank you to a sweet and funny man. Rest in laughter, Richard.”
In 2000, Lewis became a leading actor in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” playing a dramatized version of himself in the same vein as David, the star and creator.
The show, now airing in what David claims is its final season, features Lewis as the same grumpy character who often goes to the golf course with David. A season five storyline even featured David donating a kidney to Lewis.
David and Lewis go way back. The couple were born a few days apart in a Brooklyn hospital, but officially met for the first time at a summer camp when they were 12.
Lewis has said that he and David hated each other as teenagers, but reconciled when they met as adults on the New York comedy scene.
“As teenagers, we were archrivals at a summer sports camp. Our problems started at birth,” Lewis told New Jersey Monthly in a 2015 interview. “I’m convinced Larry tried to strangle me with my mother’s umbilical cord.”
Lewis said he was a good athlete at camp, while “Larry was a lanky, obnoxious jerk.”
“I hated him,” Lewis said in 2015. “We became friends years later as young comics in New York, but one night I noticed something. ‘There’s something about you that I hate,’ I told him.” Wait, you’re that Larry David from summer camp.” And he said, ‘You’re that Richard Lewis.’ We almost got into a fight.”
Lewis said he was a good athlete at camp, while “Larry was a lanky, obnoxious jerk.”
“I hated him,” Lewis said in 2015. “We became friends years later as young comics in New York, but one night I noticed something. ‘There’s something about you that I hate,’ I told him.” Wait, you’re that Larry David from summer camp.” And he said, ‘You’re that Richard Lewis.’ We almost got into a fight.”
A spokesperson for HBO, where “Curb” and several Lewis’ comedy specials have aired, said in a statement that it was “heartbroken.”
“His comedic brilliance, humor, and talent were unparalleled. Richard will always be a beloved member of the HBO and Curb Your Enthusiasm families. Our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends, and all the fans who counted on Richard to make their lives brighten up days with laughter,” said the spokesperson.