Law & Order: SVU Star Richard Belzer Dead At 78
20.02.2023 - 01:05
/ perezhilton.com
Richard Belzer, an acclaimed comedian known for his role as Detective John Munch in Law & Order: SVU, has sadly passed away. He was 78 years old.
Former Late Show with David Letterman writer Bill Scheft confirmed the sad news, telling The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died at his home in Bozouls in southwest France early Sunday:
A cause of death for Richard has not been revealed at this time. As you may know, the star was known for playing the beloved Detective Munch across ten series for 23 years. The character first appeared in the 1993 NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street before moving on to notably Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and appearing in Law & Order: Trial by Jury, 30 Rock, The X-Files, Arrested Development, The Wire, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Richard began his career as a comedian, working as the warm-up act on Saturday Night Live between 1975 to 1980 and performing on the National Lampoon Radio Hour.
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Following the news of his death, several of his friends and former co-stars took to social media to pay tribute to him. Law & Order creator and executive producer Dick Wolf said in a statement:
His Law & Order: SVU castmate Mariska Hargitay wrote on Instagram:
Co-star Christopher Meloni also shared a picture of Mariska feeding Richard on set of their show and a photo of him kissing the actor’s cheek. See the tribute (below):
SNL OG Laraine Newman also said:
Our hearts go out to Richard’s friends and family during this difficult time. R.I.P.
[Image via Dan Jackman/WENN, Law & Order/YouTube]
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