Richard Belzer, an acclaimed comic recognized for his position as Detective John Munch in Regulation & Order: SVU, has sadly handed away. He was 78 years outdated.
Former Late Present with David Letterman author Invoice Scheft confirmed the unhappy information, telling The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died at his residence in Bozouls in southwest France early Sunday:
“He had plenty of well being points, and his final phrases have been, ‘F**okay you, motherf**ker.’”
A reason behind demise for Richard has not been revealed right now. As it’s possible you’ll know, the star was recognized for enjoying the beloved Detective Munch throughout ten collection for 23 years. The character first appeared within the 1993 NBC collection Murder: Life on the Road earlier than shifting on to notably Regulation & Order: Particular Victims Unit and showing in Regulation & Order: Trial by Jury, 30 Rock, The X-Information, Arrested Improvement, The Wire, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Richard started his profession as a comic, working because the warm-up act on Saturday Night time Stay between 1975 to 1980 and acting on the Nationwide Lampoon Radio Hour.
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Following the information of his demise, a number of of his buddies and former co-stars took to social media to pay tribute to him. Regulation & Order creator and govt producer Dick Wolf mentioned in a press release:
“Richard Belzer’s detective John Munch is certainly one of tv’s iconic characters. I first labored with Richard on the Regulation & Order/Murder crossover and beloved the character a lot, I instructed Tom (Fontana) that I wished to make him one of many unique characters on SVU. The remainder is historical past. Richard introduced humor and pleasure into all our lives, was the consummate skilled, and we are going to all miss him very a lot.”
His Regulation & Order: SVU castmate Mariska Hargitay wrote on Instagram:
“Goodbye my pricey, pricey good friend. I’ll miss you, your distinctive mild, and your singular tackle this unusual world. I really feel blessed to have recognized you and adored you and labored with you, facet by facet, for therefore a few years. How fortunate the angels are to have you ever. I like you so very a lot, now and without end.”
Co-star Christopher Meloni additionally shared an image of Mariska feeding Richard on set of their present and a photograph of him kissing the actor’s cheek. See the tribute (beneath):
— Chris Meloni (@Chris_Meloni) February 19, 2023
Good bye mon ami. I like you.#TheBelz pic.twitter.com/CPJIyNDxYk
— Chris Meloni (@Chris_Meloni) February 19, 2023
SNL OG Laraine Newman additionally mentioned:
“I’m so unhappy to listen to of Richard Belzer’s passing. I beloved this man a lot. He was certainly one of my first buddies after I acquired to New York to do SNL. We used to exit to dinner each week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of many funniest individuals ever. A grasp at crowd work. RIP dearest.”
Our hearts exit to Richard’s family and friends throughout this tough time. R.I.P.
[Image via Dan Jackman/WENN, Law & Order/YouTube]
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