Richard Lewis, Comedian and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Actor, Dead at 76
Stand-up comedian Richard Lewis has died, his rep confirms to ET. He was 76.
The entertainer — who was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Englewood, New Jersey — is perhaps best known for his role in Anything But Love alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, portraying Prince John in Robin Hood: Men in Tights and most recently for playing a fictionalized version of himself in Larry David’s HBO series, Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Lewis began his comedy career — which is often described as self-deprecating, dark humor — at open mics in New York City’s Greenwich Village. From there, he earned notoriety in the 80s and 90s when he frequently performed his stand-up routines on The Tonight Show and other late-night programs.
In April 2023, Lewis revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years prior.
“I went to a neurologist and they gave me a brain scan and I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and that was about two years ago,” he said 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.”
“I guess I just wanted to let you know that’s where it’s been at,” his 2023 message concluded. “I’m finished with stand-up. I’m just focusing on writing and acting. I have Parkinson’s disease, but I’m under a doctor’s care and everything is cool and I love my wife, I love my little puppy dog, and I love all of my friends and my fans, and now you know where it’s been at the last three and a half years. God bless you.”
He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky, who he married in 2005.
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