Comedian's Detective John Munch appeared on nearly a dozen series over two-decade stint on television after debuting on Homicide: Life on the Streets.
RICHARD BELZER, THE quick-witted stand-up comedian who became one of the most beloved detectives on television, has died at the age of 78.
Belzer’s death was confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter by his longtime friend Bill Scheft. “He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘Fuck you, motherfucker,'” Scheft said, adding that Belzer died Sunday morning at his home in southwest France, where the actor moved to after his tenure on Law & Order: SVU.
Decades before putting his detective skills to work on primetime, Belzer was among the most revered stand-up comics in the New York comedy scene in Seventies and Eighties, even serving as the warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live tapings in that series’ first seasons; Belzer himself would appear on the show three times.
“I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing,” SNL vet Laraine Newman tweeted Sunday. “I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL. We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest.Belzer was also among the comic legends who participated on the National Lampoon Radio Hour when that show debuted in 1973, and later that decade co-hosted his own radio show in New York City.
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