Sunday night’s episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm’s final season featured a tribute to the late actor Richard Lewis, who died in his Los Angeles home after suffering a heart attack. He appeared in two scenes of “Fish Stuck,” which opened with his photo and the statement, “In memory of Richard Lewis. 1947 – 2024.”
Richard Lewis, who played a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the series, passed away “peacefully” on February 27. “His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship, and support and asks for privacy at this time,” his publicist, Jeff Abraham of Jonas Public Relations, stated.
‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ pays tribute to late Richard Lewis
at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Evening with “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Leonard H. Goldenson Theater, North Hollywood, CA 11-09-05
In the episode, Lewis attends an AA meeting with Larry David, and they make some jokes as usual. “You shoulda seen me, I got laughs, bigger than I’ve ever gotten before at a meeting. I can’t divorce my comic self, part of me will always be a comedian and a drunk,” Lewis told his co-star.
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Lewis also talked about doing something out of his “from hell” comedy bit and turning what they shared at the gathering into a special. “That’s why we’re best friends, the drunk from hell concert!” Lewis called out to David as he walked away. Next up, David tries to bribe some information out of his friend with a place in his will— and Lewis opens up. It turned out to be a trick when Lewis asked, “how much were you thinking about leaving me?” and David says nothing.
What happened to Richard Lewis?
Publicist Jeff recalled that Lewis battled Parkinson’s disease— the secondary cause of his death, since April 2023. He reportedly quit comedy due to his diagnosis but shared an update a few weeks ago. “I have some occasional walking difficulties with Parkinson’s the last couple of years. It’s not major. I’m getting through it fine so far, but I didn’t want to go to spend five or six hours mingling with so many people,” he said, explaining the reason for his absence at the season 12 premiere party for HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
HBO released a statement appreciating Lewis’s contribution to the network during his lifetime, which reads, “We are heartbroken to learn that Richard Lewis has passed away. His comedic brilliance, wit, and talent were unmatched. Richard will always be a cherished member of the HBO and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ families.” Despite his health challenges, including two back surgeries, Lewis returned to set because “after 20 years of being associated with the whole show, it was too much on my mind that I couldn’t let Larry David down.”