Celebrities mourn the loss of legendary standup Richard Lewis, dead at 76

Comedian and actor Richard Lewis died at the age of 76 at his Los Angeles home after suffering a heart attack, according to a statement from his publicist. 

Having made a name for himself as a self-deprecating standup, appearing throughout the years on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “Late Night with David Letterman,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and in a recurring role as himself on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Lewis revealed in 2023 that he had Parkinson’s disease, at which point he made the decision to hang up his mic and focus on acting and writing. Following the announcement of his death, fellow comedians and other celebrities fond of his work, and of him as a person, flooded social media with remembrances. 

“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,” Larry David wrote in a statement 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.”

“RIP Richard Lewis. A brilliantly funny man who will missed by all. The world needed him now more than ever,” Albert Brooks wrote in a post to X (formerly Twitter). 

“Richard will always be a cherished member of the HBO and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ families, our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends and all the fans who could count on Richard to brighten their days with laughter,” a statement from HBO reads.