The 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' star, who announced he'd quit stand-up comedy after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in April 2023, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, February 27.
- Feb 28, 2024
AceShowbiz - Larry David has sadly lost his "Curb Your Enthusiasm" co-star Richard Lewis. Upon hearing that Richard died of a heart attack on Tuesday, February 27, at the age of 76, the comedian shared a poignant message to honor his pal.
"Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he's been like a brother to me," the "Seinfeld" co-creator wrote in a statement shared by HBO on Wednesday. "He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I'll never forgive him."
Larry's death was confirmed by his publicist Jeff Abraham. "His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time," Jeff said.
Back in April 2023, Richard announced he'd quit stand-up comedy after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. "Here's really what happened. Three and half years ago I was in the middle of a tour and I finally ended it with a show. I said, 'You know I'm at the top of my game, after 15 years almost I'm going to call it quits,' and I felt great about that and then out of the blue the s*** hit the fan," he said in a video shared on X, formerly Twitter.
"I had four surgeries back to back to back to back, it was incredible, I couldn't believe it, it was bad luck, but that's life," the funnyman continued. "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."
"I got it late in life, and they say you progress very slowly if at all. I just wanted you to know that that's where it's been at," he added. "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."
The comic explained he was sharing an update with fans because people had questioned if he was still touring after not hearing from him for a while. He said, "Hey listen, I just wrapped a couple of weeks ago season 12 of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and it was just an amazing season and I'm so grateful to be a part of that show. But you know the last three and a half years, I've had sort of a rocky time and people said, 'I haven't heard from you, are you still touring?' "
Richard later thanked fans for their concern and insisted he is happy with his life. He concluded, "I love my wife, I love my little puppy dog and I love all my friends and my fans. And now you know where it's been at the last three and a half years. God bless you."
