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Three days after losing the love of her life, Joyce Lapinsky posted a thank you message to Richard Lewis’ many fans and offered insight into how they might remember him.
“This is Joyce, Richard’s wife,” Lapinsky wrote on her husband’s X page. “Thank you for your loving tributes to her. He would be beyond excited and touched, as would I. In response to the many questions, I know that Richard would appreciate donations in his memory to the Los Angeles-based charity. or the charity of your choice.”
Comedy Gives Back describes itself as “a nonprofit organization created to help comedians when they need it,” working to create a safety net for that community.
According to people, Lewis and Lapinsky met in 1998 at Ringo Starr’s album release party. In 2004 they got engaged. They married the following year.
Starr was among those who paid tribute to Lewis on Wednesday, posting a photo of the three and writing: “God bless you Richard Lewis, peace and love to Joyce.”
Lewis paid his own tribute to Lapinsky several weeks before his passing, posting a photo of the two of them and writing: “Keaton had his Eleanor, I have my Joyce.”
The reference is to Eleanor Keaton, Buster’s wife, who was his greatest champion. Eleanor Keaton is widely credited with helping revive the silent film star’s career in the 1950s and keeping her memory alive after the comedy icon’s death in 1966.
The parallels are not difficult to see.
The duo connected only after Lewis achieved hard-won sobriety from drugs and alcohol. In 2010, he said of their relationship, “I have found peace and serenity. On stage, I still explore my bottomless pit of bad memories… In real life, I’m still crazy, but I’m much happier and grateful than ever.”