Today came the sad news: Richard Belzer, known for his role on the Law and Order spinoff Law & Order: SVU passed away recently, aged 78 years old. The comedian and actor has left behind a lasting legacy when it comes to making people laugh, and now friends and colleagues are remembering just how talented the man was as they share their memories and thoughts on social media.
Belzer started out on Saturday Night Live as the warm-up comedian and also guest starred in the show on a handful of occasions before moving into acting. He worked on the occasional film in the ’70s and ’80s and had some recurring small roles in some television series in the ’90s, but it was playing his famous character of Detective John Munch, starting in Homicide: Life on the Streets (1993-1999) and moving to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-1913) that he is probably best remembered for.
Now, members of the cast of Law & Order: SVU pay their respects to their former co-star, praising his humor and wit and expressing their sadness at his passing.
Actress Mariska Hargitay posted this statement on her Instagram:
One of the show’s other stars, Chris Meloni, shared a picture of himself and Belzer together.
Ice-T who plays Detective Tutuola also added his sadness at hearing of his friend’s passing.
One of the writers of the show, Warren Leight, remembered just how kind and warm Belzer had been when he joined the SVU family. He shared a clip of Belzer’s final scene playing Munch within SVU as a way to say goodbye.
The Law & Order official Twitter account paid its respect to the actor, highlighting his unforgettable performance as Det. Munch and offering condolences to his loved ones.
Dick Wolf, creator of Law & Order and SVU, expressed his own sadness at the passing and shared just how integral Belzer was to the show, telling Variety,
“Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters, Law & Order and SVU. I first worked with Richard on the Law & Order/Homicide crossover and loved the character so much, I told Tom (Fontana) that I wanted to make him one of the original characters on SVU. The rest is history. Richard brought humor and joy into all our lives, was the consummate professional and we will all miss him very much.”
As reported in The Hollywood Reporter Belzer died in the south of France and according to his longtime friend, writer Bill Scheft, the actor’s last words were “Fuck you, motherfucker,” keeping it humorous even at the end there. It was also stated that Belzer had been struggling with health issues for some time.
Our condolences go to his friends and family at this difficult time.
