One of the many people paying respect to the late actor and comedian Richard Belzer, who apparently passed away at the age of 78, is actor Henry Winkler. Laraine Newman, a former cast member of Saturday Night Live, was the first person to share the tragic news of Belzer’s passing. She referred to him as “one of the funniest guys ever.”
Reposting Newman’s message with the caption “Rest in peace Richard,” Winkler, who was Belzer’s cousin, shared the news that Newman had passed away.
According to statements made to The Hollywood Reporter by writer Bill Scheft, his longtime buddy passed away early on Sunday morning at his house in Bozouls, which is located in the southwest region of France. According to Scheft, who spoke to the publication about the deceased man,
The well-known actor, who began his career on the comedy circuit, broke through to mainstream audiences with his performances on NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he became immediately recognizable as the police investigator John Munch. Like his on-screen alter persona, Belzer had a love with conspiracy theories, and he published four books, two of which were bestsellers in The New York Times, concerning what he considered to be “controversial cover-ups.”
On various social media platforms, the actor’s friends and admirers were quick to express their condolences and celebrate his life. Mariska Hargitay, who played Veronica on SVU, noted that she will miss Belzer’s “particular brightness” and his “unique perspective on this crazy world.”
Throwback photographs of Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler, the character that Belzer played opposite on Law & Order: SVU, was released by Meloni in memory of Belzer. “Goodbye mon ami. I love you, “He captioned a picture that showed him laying a kiss on Belzer’s cheek as Hargitay watched from the background. In the picture, Hargitay was also there. Another image shows Hargitay offering Belzer a piece of fruit while they were on set.
Throwback photographs of Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler, the character that Belzer played opposite on Law & Order: SVU, was released by Meloni in memory of Belzer. “Goodbye mon ami. I love you, “He captioned a picture that showed him laying a kiss on Belzer’s cheek as Hargitay watched from the background. In the picture, Hargitay was also there. Another image shows Hargitay offering Belzer a piece of fruit while they were on set.
In separate statements, both Universal Television and NBC expressed their condolences at the loss of Belzer. “Anyone who ever had the pleasure of watching Richard Belzer portray Det. John Munch — whether on Homicide or Law & Order: SVU — over the course of four decades will never forget how much he inhabited that cherished character to make it his own,” the statement read. “Anyone who ever had the pleasure of watching Richard Belzer portray Det.
Dick Wolf, the creator of Law & Order, was quoted as saying in a statement to Variety that Richard Belzer’s portrayal of Detective John Munch is “one of television’s legendary figures.” “When I first worked with Richard, it was on the crossover episode of Law & Order and Homicide. I liked the character so much that I told Tom [Fontana] that I wanted to make him one of the original characters on SVU. Richard was fantastic.” The rest, as they say, is history. Richard was the ultimate professional, he brought laughter and pleasure into all of our lives, and we are going to miss him very much.
After 15 seasons of the classic crime series, it was revealed in 2013 that Belzer would be leaving the role she had been playing. After then, in 2016, he made his triumphant comeback to Law & Order: SVU, appearing as a special guest star in an episode of the show. The news of Belzer’s passing comes not long after that of his on-screen collaborator Ice-T being presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during a ceremony that took place on Friday and was attended by both Wolf and Hargitay.
After retiring from the San Francisco Police Department, Belzer relocated to the south of France. In 1985, he tied the knot with his third wife, the former actress Harlee McBride, and the couple went on to have two stepdaughters.
