Richard Belzer, the actor, comedian and author known for starring inLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit, has died. He was 78.
FormerLate Show with David Lettermanwriter Bill Scheft confirmed the death to PEOPLE. “His last words were, ‘F— you, motherf—er,'” Scheft toldPEOPLE. Belzer died at his home in Bozouls in southwest France “peacefully with family at his side,” Scheft added.
Belzer had some health scares in the past,surviving testicular cancerin 1983, which ultimately inspired his 1997 HBO comedy specialAnother Lone Nut.
In the same special, he joked about another moment onThe Richard Belzer Show, in which celebrity guestHulk Hoganput the host in a chokehold,causing him to pass out and hit his headon the stage. Belzer sued and they later settled out of court.
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“Richard Belzer’s detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters,” Dick Wolf,Law & Order: SVUcreator and executive producer, said in a statement. “I first worked with Richard on theLaw & Order/Homicidecrossover and loved the character so much, I told Tom (Fontana) that I wanted to make him one of the original characters onSVU. The rest is history. Richard brought humor and joy into all our lives, was the consummate professional, and we will all miss him very much.”
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Laraine Newman, who was a cast member onSaturday Night Livefrom 1975 to 1980, was one of many to pay tribute to Belzer on Twitter after he served as the NBC sketch comedy show’s warm-up comedian during her run.
“I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing,” she wrote Sunday. “I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to doSNL.”
“We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest,” added Newman.
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Marc Maronwrote in a tribute post: “Richard Belzer died.He was an original. One of the greats, babe. I loved the guy. RIP”
“The Belz… Even holding his dog he wasalways the coolest cat in the room,” wroteJeff Ross, sharing a throwback photo of Belzer with his poodle-fox terrier mixBebe.
Belzer was best known for his role as Detective John Munch onLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit. After originating the role on NBC’sHomicide: Life on the Streetin 1993 and reprising the character in theLaw & Orderparent series, he appeared in nearly 330 episodes ofSVUbetween 1999 and 2013, with two additional cameos in 2014 and 2016.
“It was a bit of a miracle how I got the part,” he said in an interview withThe Boomer Tube. “I didn’t audition for it. Barry Levinson heard me on theHoward Stern Showand brought me in to read for the character.”
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Of hisSVUrole, Belzer noted, “I would never be a detective, but if I were, that’s how I’d be. The character is very close to how I would be. They write to all of my paranoia, anti-establishment dissonance and conspiracy theories, so it’s a lot of fun for me. It’s like a dream, actually.”
Off-screen, Belzer had a beloved comedy career, and was vocal about his belief in various conspiracy theories. Often diving into American culture — and history — Belzer has shared his unique views everywhere from on stage to in books.
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In 2016, Belzer released the bookHit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination.
His other books include, but are not limited to,UFOS, JFK and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don’t Have to be Crazy to BelieveandDead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country’s Most Controversial Cover-Ups.
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In a 2010 conversation withCesar’s Way Magazine, Belzercredited his dogBebe with extending his lifespan.
“I have a bit of a temper, and if I get upset, the dog senses it,” he said. “So the dog is actually going to make me live longer. I don’t fly off the handle anywhere near as often as I used to.”
source: people.com
