Hollywood mourns Richard Lewis. You’re losing an “incredibly funny” and lovely person – that’s how the US actor’s colleagues put it. He died at the age of 76 after a heart attack.
The US comedian and actor Richard Lewis is dead. He died after a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles, his spokesman said. Lewis was 76 years old. He announced last year that he had Parkinson’s disease. He gained fame alongside “Seinfeld” producer Larry David in the sitcom “Leave it, Larry!”.
Lewis made his breakthrough in the United States in the 1980s as a stand-up comedian with his typical black humor. He became known to a wider audience through his role in Mel Brooks’ “Robin Hood” in the early 1990s, where Lewis played Prince John.
He also repeatedly had guest appearances in “Leave it, Larry!” (original: “Curb Your Enthusiasm”). In the improv sitcom, which has been running since 2000, Lewis had a supporting role as a cynical, neurotic comedian who plays a fictional version of himself.
Richard Lewis at the premiere of the seventh season of the HBO series “Leave it, Larry!” (original: “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) in Los Angeles on September 15, 2009.
“Rare mixture”
Numerous colleagues paid their respects to the late comedian. Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis described him as a wonderful actor and “incredibly funny”. She is eternally grateful to him for helping her overcome her addiction problems. She recalled their joint sitcom “Everything but Love” (1989 to 1992), in which they played a couple.
Stars like Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Albert Brooks and Ben Stiller also expressed their sadness and praised his talent. Comedian David described Lewis as a “rare mix, the funniest and at the same time the sweetest person”.
In addition to TV series, Lewis also made feature films such as the Western parody “Wagons East” (1994) and “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995) alongside Nicolas Cage.