The late Richard Lewis, who starred alongside Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm and was a respected standup comedian, passed away at 76 years old.

Last year, Lewis announced that he had Parkinson’s disease and would no longer be performing stand-up comedy. However, he did make an appearance in the current season of the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Jeff Abraham of Jonas Public Relations announced that Lewis passed away peacefully at his residence in Los Angeles last night due to a heart attack.

Abraham issued a statement on behalf of his wife, Joyce Lapinsky, expressing gratitude for the love, friendship, and support she has received. She kindly requests privacy during this time.

“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,” David said in a statement shared by HBO. “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.”

Jamie Lee Curtis, the romantic co-lead opposite Lewis in the ABC series Anything But Love, paid tribute to him on Instagram, writing: “He also is the reason I am sober. He helped me. I am forever grateful for him for that act of grace alone. He found love with Joyce and that, of course, besides his sobriety, is what mattered most to him. I’m weeping as I write this. Strange way of saying thank you to a sweet and funny man. Rest in laughter, Richard.”

The highly praised comedian was recognized for delving into his inner anxieties in energetic and rambling rants while attired in all black, earning him the moniker The Prince of Pain.

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For many years, Lewis entertained audiences in clubs and on late-night TV. He also portrayed the consistently anxious Prince John in Mel Brooks’s film Robin Hood: Men In Tights.

He made a comeback to a younger audience, appearing alongside Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm and frequently complaining.

“I have a tendency to be excessively anxious and suspicious about everything in my life, even when I am at home. I even have a rear-view mirror on my stationary bike, which amuses me,” he jokingly stated during a performance.

Lewis joked with TV host and fellow comedian Jimmy Kimmel, sharing, “I attempted to go to bed this morning but couldn’t fall asleep. I resorted to counting sheep, but I only had six of them and they all seemed to have undergone hip replacement surgeries.”

Lewis was recognized by the Comedy Central channel as one of the greatest standup comedians in history. He was also honored in GQ magazine’s ranking of the most influential humorists of the 20th century. Additionally, he used his comedic talents to support charitable causes such as Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.

In 2014, the Los Angeles Times described his stand-up as resembling a humorous and sometimes somber session of therapy. Philadelphia’s City Paper likened him to the Jimi Hendrix of performers. Mel Brooks has even compared him to the Franz Kafka of contemporary comedy.

• and die Frage

  Reporting for this piece was provided by Associated Press with additional contributions from die Frage.

Source: theguardian.com