LOS ANGELES: The well-known comic Richard Lewis, who gained notoriety for portraying a fictionalised version of himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm, has passed away at 76.
Lewis suffered a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (Feb 27) and passed away.
His publicist Jeff Abraham confirmed his death, as reported by Deadline
Abraham released a statement saying, “His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship, and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
Lewis declared his retirement from stand-up comedy last year, citing his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
He nevertheless kept making appearances in the twelfth season of HBO’s sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, which stars Larry David.
Lewis was born on June 29, 1947, in Brooklyn. In 1971, he participated in an open mic in Greenwich Village to try his hand at stand-up. By the end of the decade, he had made a name for himself as one of the brightest talents in a thriving stand-up scene that featured notables like Lily Tomlin, Andy Kaufman, and George Carlin.
In addition to his self-deprecating and gallows humor, Lewis was a gifted actor who starred in both serious dramas like Leaving Las Vegas (1995) and comedies like Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993).
Additionally, Lewis had an appearance in the first episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, a sitcom co-created by Seinfeld and Larry David, in 1999.
