“He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest,” the Curb Your Enthusiasm creator wrote in a statement. “But today he made me sob, and for that I’ll never forgive him.”
Friends, comedians, castmates and fans have flooded newsfeeds with their heartbreaking tributes to Richard Lewis.
The beloved stand-up comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm star died on Tuesday at age 76.
“Comedian/Actor Richard Lewis passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles last night after suffering a heart attack,” read a statement from his rep, Jeff Abraham to ABC News.
“His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
Leading the tributes was comedian Larry David — a lifelong friend of Lewis.
“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,” David wrote in a statement Wednesday, shared by HBO. “He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob, and for that I’ll never forgive him.”
John Johnson/HBO
David’s onscreen wife, Cheryl Hines shared her tribute in a statement to PEOPLE admitting she had a “crush” on the star early in her career.
“When I was young I had the biggest crush on Richard Lewis. He was the funniest person on stage and the most handsome comedian. Then when I was cast on Curb Your Enthusiasm, I got to work with him and it was a dream come true,” Hines said.
“Through the years I learned who Richard really was and the gifts he gave. Yes, he was the comedian I fell in love with, but he was also one of the most loving people I know. He would take time to tell the people he loved what they meant to him — especially in recent years. In between takes on Curb, he would tell me how special I was to him and how much he loved me,” she continues before concluding with “I love you Richard.”
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Actor Jamie Lee Curtis poured her heart out in three carousel posts — which included images of the pair from their ABC sitcom Anything But Love — telling the world how she first came across her friend in Hollywood.
“I’ve just read that my friend Richard Lewis has died,” Curtis, 65, shared via Instagram on Wednesday, February 28. “I remember exactly where I was when I saw a billboard of him about a stand-up special on Sunset Boulevard when we were casting the ABC pilot Anything But Love and asked the casting people to bring him in to audition to play my best friend/maybe boyfriend, Marty Gold.”
Curtis opened up about how much she admired Lewis for his work and ability to make her “snort” laugh, which is how he landed the role alongside Curtis in the first place.
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Anything But Love first premiered in 1989 and went on to run for four seasons before it ended in 1992.
Lewis’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights costar Cary Elwes shared a post on X revealing that the pair “were literally just making plans together”.
Noooo….. We were literally just making plans to get together. Besides your remarkable talent there was no one sweeter or more generous than you, my friend. I miss you already & forever. Rest in Power, Richard. Our sincere condolences to Joyce, his family & fans @TheRichardLewis pic.twitter.com/4vqxagwqiw
— Cary Elwes (@Cary_Elwes) February 28, 2024
@Cary_Elwes
Ben Stiller said he had “never met a kinder more empathetic comedy genius.”
“He was so funny. And deep. As a stand up he was really iconic in the 70s. Cool, funny, self deprecating and hip. He was a friend to my parents and the whole Stiller family,” Stiller penned in a tweet.
I never met a kinder, more empathetic comedy genius. He was so funny. And deep. As a stand up he was really iconic in the 70s. Cool, funny, self deprecating and hip. He was a friend to my parents and the whole Stiller family. As a kid i remember seeing him at the Improv and… https://t.co/0aRA3xLTGR
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 28, 2024
@BenStiller
Bette Midler kept it short and sweet: “On a sad note, the great Richard Lewis has died.” Midler was one of the first to share a tribute online. While Nancy Sinatra called the news “dreadful”.
This is dreadful news. I will always love Richard. 😢
— Nancy Sinatra (@NancySinatra) February 28, 2024
@NancySinatra
In April 2023, the comedian announced his retirement from stand-up in a video posted to Twitter. He revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, adding that he had been having a “rocky” time with his health and wanted to “strictly” focus on his acting and writing.
“Hey listen, I just wrapped a couple of weeks ago season 12 of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and it was just an amazing season and I’m so grateful to be a part of that show,” Lewis said. “But you know the last three and a half years, I’ve had sort of a rocky time and people said, ‘I haven’t heard from you, are you still touring?'”
“Here’s really what happened,” Lewis continued. “Three and half years ago I was in the middle of a tour and I finally ended it with a show. I said, ‘You know I’m at the top of my game, after 15 years almost I’m going to call it quits,’ and I felt great about that and then out of the blue the shit hit the fan. I had four surgeries back to back to back to back, it was incredible, I couldn’t believe it, it was bad luck, but that’s life.”
Lewis is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.
