Richard Lewis, beloved comedian, Curb Your Enthusiasm star, and master of whiny, self-deprecating humor passed away in his home on the night of Feb. 27.
The comic, who was very public about his struggles with drugs, alcohol, anxiety, and health, was in his Los Angeles home and suffered a heart attack. The 76-year-old legend had been especially struggling the past few years, and in April of 2023, he revealed that he was living with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disorder that impacts the nervous system and consequently, muscle control. It causes shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with movement.
The diagnosis forced Lewis to retire from stand-up and his appearances on Curb diminished as the show went on, but he did appear in its final season, which currently airs on Max. “For the last three-and-a-half years, I’ve had sort of a rocky time,” he said when he shared the Parkinson’s diagnosis.
He’s had other health problems as well. He was in the midst of a comedy tour when he was forced to quit because “out of the blue, the shit hit the fan.” He had four surgeries in a row; first his back, then his shoulder, then a shoulder replacement, and finally a hip replacement. On top of all that, he said he was “walking a little stiffly” and “shuffling his feet,” which turned out to be the Parkinson’s.
Despite all his issues, Lewis was optimistic about the future. “I’m finished with stand-up, I’m just focused on writing and acting. I have Parkinson’s disease but I’m under a doctor’s care, and everything is cool and I love my wife [Joyce Lapinsky], I love my little puppy dog and I love all of my friends and my fans.”
Jeff Schaffer, the executive producer on Curb, said that Lewis was “a champ” when filming the final season and that he was “doing fantastic right now, I’m very happy to report. Having seen him for press and everything, he’s doing amazing.” The irony is that Lewis was the master of digging into his own neurosis for chuckles. He once joked that his hypochondria was so bad, he wouldn’t engage in self-pleasure because he was worried he might give himself an STD.
He always dressed in black and quipped that he was the “Descartes of anxiety; I panic, therefore I am.” He was hugely popular in the ’80s and in 1989, he sold out Carnegie Hall. He later said that he was so high, he couldn’t remember the show at all. In 1991, he almost died from a mixture of booze and drugs and decided to get sober, something he said he adhered to stringently for the rest of his life.
Lewis is survived by his wife Joyce and will be missed by family, friends, and all who enjoyed his work.
