Brian Marks
- Lewis’ death was first revealed on Wednesday by Bette Midler
- He revealed in April 2023 that he was diagnosed years earlier with Parkinson’s
- Lewis made numerous acclaimed appearances on David’s hit HBO series
Curb Your Enthusiasm star and creator Larry David paid tribute to his late friend Richard Lewis on Wednesday.
Lewis death was first announced by Bette Midler on X (formerly Twitter), before it was subsequently confirmed that he had died at 76 by Variety.
David, also 76, called his fellow comedian ‘like a brother’ in a moving tribute shared in a statement by HBO.
‘Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,’ he said.
Lewis is credited as appearing in 41 of the 114 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm aired to date, according to IMDb.
True to life, the comedian played one of the curmudgeonly David’s best friends, though the two often ended up at each other’s throats for comic effect.
‘He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.’
David was joined by numerous other high-profile comedians and actors including Steve Martin, Jimmy Kimmel, Michael McKean, Albert Brooks, Paul Feig, Loni Love and many more.
Martin, 78, shared a brief post in response to Midler, calling Lewis’ death a ‘Great sadness.’
Although the two funny men never shared the screen for a major project, they are both considered two of the major stand-up comedians of the past century.
Others, including Jimmy Kimmel, Michael McKean, Albert Brooks, Paul Feig and Loni Love were just some of the actors and comedians who shared their love and appreciation for Lewis on social media.
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