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Richard Lewis, one of America’s most beloved and revered comedians, who also played a fictional version of himself on the HBO series. Curb your enthusiasmHe died last night at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack. He was 76 years old.
His death was confirmed by his publicist Jeff Abraham. Lewis had been living with Parkinson’s disease, a diagnosis he revealed in April 2023.
“His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time,” Abraham said.
Born Richard Philip Lewis in Brooklyn on June 29, 1947, Lewis cut his teeth on the New York and Los Angeles comedy scenes of the 1970s alongside future stars such as Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer and Elayne Boosler. He quickly became a favorite on late-night shows, including Tonight’s show starring Johnny Carson, developed a singular stage persona almost as dark as the all-black clothing he favored. Her stand-up performances could best be described as comedy and therapy straddling each other.
Lewis’ website highlights a quote from the great comedian Mel Brooks: “Richard Lewis may simply be the Franz Kafka of modern comedy.”
Self-deprecating, sharp, and brutally honest about his addictions and neuroses, Lewis was the rare comedian who could rival the cantankerous but highly relatable view of life honed by his old friend and Curb your enthusiasm co-star Larry David.
Making his acting debut in the 1979 NBC special. Diary of a young comediana 90-minute film broadcast on the Saturday night live In the slot, Lewis’ national profile grew significantly over the next two decades as his bold observations were welcomed and celebrated by hosts David Letterman, Jay Leno and, on radio, Howard Stern.
Television comedy specials followed, his first Showtime special, specifically titled I’m sufferingaired in 1985. It became a major appearance on HBO with comedy specials in 1988, 1990 and 1997.
Although his humor did not fit easily into the sitcoms of the time, he co-starred in several seasons in the late ’80s and early ’90s with Jamie Lee Curtis on Everything but loveand with Don Rickles in 1993 dear dad. In 1998 she co-starred with Kevin Nealon in the comedy. Hiller and Diller.
Film credits included 1993. Robin Hood: Men in tights, in which he played Prince John, and in 1995 drunk. Also that year she appeared in Leaving Vegas.
Lewis began what would arguably be his signature role (based, appropriately, on himself) in 2000, when his childhood friend Larry David cast him in the HBO series. Curb your enthusiasm. The two New Yorkers met at summer camp when they were 12 and rekindled their friendship on the New York comedy circuit a decade later.
In a statement, HBO said: “We are heartbroken to learn that Richard Lewis has passed away. His comedic brilliance, wit and talent were unmatched. “Richard will always be a beloved member of the HBO and Curb Your Enthusiasm families, our deepest condolences to his family, friends and all the fans who could count on Richard to brighten his days with laughter.”
Although he largely retired from acting after his Parkinson’s diagnosis, he returned to Curb periodically, most recently during the current (and final) season of the show.
In addition to his many years of playing comedy clubs around the country (he titled his seemingly endless tour as Clues of my fears tour: Lewis wrote two memoirs: The Other Great Depression (2000) and, with co-author Carl Nicholas Titolo, Reflections from Hell: Richard Lewis’s Guide to How Not to Live (2015).
Released a 2 DVD box set titled A bundle of nerves which documented his career over 40 years, and a DVD box set called concerts from hell compiled three of his early HBO and Showtime specials.
Lewis’s comedy was relentlessly confessional and probing, touching on a lifelong struggle with anxiety and a hard-won sobriety after decades of alcoholism. He adopted, with humor and self-awareness, a nickname that came to him early in his career: The Prince of Pain.