Richard Lewis dies aged 76: Curb Your Enthusiasm star dies of heart attack after years-long battle with Parkinson’s, as Bette Midler leads tributes to comedian

It has been confirmed that Richard Lewis has died at the age of 76 after a years-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Bette Midler was the first to announce the news of the comedian’s death on X, writing: “The sad thing is that the great Richard Lewis has died.”

Curb Your Enthusiasm star Lewis has had an illustrious career in Hollywood as an actor, writer and comedian.

Variety confirmed that Lewis had died due to a heart attack.

Curb Your Enthusiasm star and creator Larry David had recently alluded to Richard’s health issues, saying he was sad that his “friend, my great friend” couldn’t be at the season 10 premiere of the hit show, earlier this year, on January 31st.

Richard then confirmed that he was not in a position to attend there in a tweet that same night, writing: “I certainly wish I could attend the premiere.” I would have loved to share all the love in the room with my wife. @HBO and LD made the dream of countless dreamers come true.’

In what would be his last post on X, Richard praised the show, saying: ‘What a night! I loved episode 3 of #curbyourenthusiasm’. The tweet was posted on February 18.

Lewis was born three days before David, the creator of Curb Your Enthusiasm. They were born in the same city, Brooklyn, in 1947.

Lewis’ credits include a long-running role as a fictional version of himself on the hit comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. He returned for the twelfth and final season of the series, which debuted this year.

Lewis also had roles in Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Daddy Dearest and more.

The death comes less than a year after Lewis announced he had been battling Parkinson’s disease.

In April 2023, Lewis said he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease following a brain scan. At the time, she had been battling the disease for the past two years.

“Luckily I got it late in my life and they say if anything you progress very slowly and I’m on the right medications and it’s great,” Lewis said. ‘I just wanted you to know that’s where he’s been.

‘I’m done with stand-up, I’m just concentrating on writing and acting. I have Parkinson’s disease but I’m under a doctor’s care and everything is fine and I love my wife, I love my puppy and I love all my friends and fans.’

According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by nerves. Symptoms start slowly.

“Tremors are common, but the disorder can also cause stiffness or slowing of movement,” according to the site.