Richard Lewis, Iconic Standup Comedian, Dies at 76

(*76*)

Richard Lewis, one of many best standup comedians in historical past, has died. He was 76 years previous. The reason behind loss of life was a coronary heart assault.

Deadline confirmed Lewis’ loss of life with his publicist, Jeff Abraham. Lewis had beforehand introduced in April of final 12 months that he had been identified a number of years earlier with Parkinson’s illness.

“That was about two years ago,” Lewis stated at the time. “But luckily I got it late in life and they say you progress very slowly if at all, and I’m on the right meds. So I’m cool.”

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Born in Brooklyn in 1947, Lewis began doing standup comedy in New York City within the early Nineteen Seventies whereas making a residing within the promoting world. His profession took off after he began getting booked on discuss exhibits within the mid Nineteen Seventies; by the Eighties he was a late-night mainstay who appeared recurrently on The Tonight Show and Late Night With David Letterman. He was a ubiquitous presence on tv doing standup all by way of the Eighties and ’90s.

Lewis was all the time greatest generally known as a standup comic, however he made quite a few appearances in movies and tv exhibits. One of his funniest roles was as Prince John in Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

In current years, Lewis grew to become a fixture on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, enjoying a loosely fictionalized model of himself. As on the present, David and Lewis have been lifelong pals; they really went to summer season camp collectively as children.

After the information of Lewis’ passing broke on-line, David gave this assertion on his good friend and co-star’s passing:

Richard and I have been born three days aside in the identical hospital and for many of my life he’s been like a brother to me. He had that uncommon mixture of being the funniest individual and likewise the sweetest. But as we speak he made me sob, and for that I’ll by no means forgive him.

Clearly Lewis was not in nice well being lately, however that doesn’t make his passing any sadder or simpler to take. He was one of many really distinctive voices of his era of standup comics. He shall be dearly missed.