Richard Belzer, the longtime star of NBC’s Law & Order franchise has died at the age of 78, according to his friends and former colleagues.
Belzer died at his home in Bozouls in southwest France on Sunday, a friend of the actor and veteran comedian told The Hollywood Reporter.
“He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘F**k you, motherf***er,’” his friend, who did not want to be identified, told the Hollywood news outlet.
Belzer played the role of John Munch for 23 years on Homicide: Life on the Streets and Law & Order, starting in 1993.
The Connecticut-born comedian retired from acting in 2016 and the age of 71.
His longtime friend, Laraine Newman, who worked with him on Saturday Night Live, took to Twitter to remember him.
“I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing. I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL,” she tweeted.
“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.”
Warren Leight, the SVU showrunner, also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Belzer and post video of his final scene on the show.
“Richard Belzer was the first actor to welcome me when I started at SVU. Open, warm, acerbic, whip smart, surprisingly kind. I loved writing for Munch, and I loved being with Belz. We sensed this would be his parting scene. Godspeed Belz…” he tweeted.
Julie Martin, an executive producer and writer for SVU, also paid tribute to the actor, tweeting broken heart emojis.
“Missing Richard Belzer today. Working with him on Homicide to SVU has been a hilarious, surprising and always joyful experience. I’m sure he’s giving ‘em all a lot of laughs upstairs,” she tweeted.
