A popular US stand-up comedian and actor, Richard Lewis, has been confirmed dead.
Spokesperson to the deceased, Jeff Abraham, announced the passing of the the 76-year-old in a statement on Wednesday.
Lewis gained fame in the 1980s for his dark, neurotic, and self-deprecating humour.
Abraham said the HBO show ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ star died peacefully in his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack.
“Comedian/Actor Richard Lewis passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles last night after suffering a heart attack,” the statement reads.
“His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
Lewis announced last April he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was retiring from stand-up comedy.
Born on June 29, 1947, in Brooklyn and raised in Englewood, NJ, Lewis. He graduated from Ohio State University, writing jokes for comedians before he began his stand-up career.
Lewis made a name for himself in the 1970s performing in clubs in New York City and on late-night TV.
He appeared in more than 40 episodes — between 2000 and 2021 — of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ alongside Larry David, where he played a semi-fictionalized version of himself.
He was also known for being a regular guest on ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ and ‘The Howard Stern Show’.
Film credits included 1993’s ‘Robin Hood: Men in Tights’, in which he played Prince John, and 1995’s ‘Drunks’.
Lewis is survived by Joyce Lapinsky, his wife whom he married in 2005. He did not have any children.
