Richard Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname 91裸聊视频淭he Prince of Pain,91裸聊视频� has died. He was 76.
Lewis, who in 2023, died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham.
A regular performer in clubs and on late-night TV for decades, Lewis also played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series 91裸聊视频淎nything But Love91裸聊视频� and the reliably neurotic Prince John in 91裸聊视频淢el Brooks91裸聊视频� Robin Hood: Men In Tights.91裸聊视频� He re-introduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频淐urb Your Enthusiasm,91裸聊视频� kvetching regularly.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I91裸聊视频檓 not thrilled about,91裸聊视频� he once joked onstage. To Jimmy Kimmel he said: 91裸聊视频淭his morning, I tried to go to bed. I couldn91裸聊视频檛 sleep. I counted sheep but I only had six of them and they all had hip replacements.91裸聊视频�
Comedy Central named Lewis one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he earned a berth in GQ magazine91裸聊视频檚 list of the 91裸聊视频�20th Century91裸聊视频檚 Most Influential Humorists.91裸聊视频� He lent his humor for charity causes, including Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.
91裸聊视频淲atching his stand-up is like sitting in on a very funny and often dark therapy session,91裸聊视频� the Los Angeles Times said in 2014. The Philadelphia91裸聊视频檚 City Paper called him 91裸聊视频渢he Jimi Hendrix of monologists.91裸聊视频� Mel Brooks once said he 91裸聊视频渕ay just be the Franz Kafka of modern-day comedy.91裸聊视频�
Comedians took to social media Wednesday to share their thoughts, including Albert Books who called Lewis 91裸聊视频渁 brilliantly funny man who will missed by all. The world needed him now more than ever91裸聊视频� on X, formerly Twitter. Other tributes came from Bette Midler, Michael McKean and Paul Feig, who called Lewis 91裸聊视频渙ne of the funniest people on the planet.91裸聊视频�
Following his graduation from The Ohio State University in 1969, the New York-born Lewis began a stand-up career, honing his craft on the circuit with other contemporaries also just starting out like Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze and Billy Crystal.
He recalled Rodney Dangerfield hiring him for $75 to fill in at his New York club, Dangerfield91裸聊视频檚. 91裸聊视频淚 had a lot of great friends early on who believed in me, and I met pretty iconic people who really helped me, told me to keep working on my material. And I never looked back,91裸聊视频� he told The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2010.
Unlike contemporary Robin Williams, Lewis allowed audiences into his world and melancholy, pouring his torment and pain onto the stage. Fans favorably compared him to the ground-breaking comedian Lenny Bruce.
91裸聊视频淚 take great pains not to be mean-spirited,91裸聊视频� Lewis told The Palm Beach Post in 2007. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 like to take real handicaps that people have to overcome with no hope in sight. I steer clear of that. That91裸聊视频檚 not funny to me. Tragedy is funny to other humorists, but it91裸聊视频檚 not to me, unless you can make a point that91裸聊视频檚 helpful.91裸聊视频�
Singer Billy Joel has said he was referring to Lewis when he sang in 91裸聊视频淢y Life91裸聊视频� of an old friend who 91裸聊视频渂ought a ticket to the West Coast/Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.91裸聊视频�
In 1989 at Carnegie Hall, he appeared with six feet of yellow legal sheets filled with material and taped together for a 2 1/2-hour set that led to two standing ovations. The night was 91裸聊视频渢he highlight of my career,91裸聊视频� he told The Washington Post in 2020.
Lewis told GQ his signature look came incidentally, saying his obsession with dressing in black came from watching the television Western 91裸聊视频淗ave Gun 91裸聊视频� Will Travel,91裸聊视频� with a cowboy in all-black, when he was a kid. He also popularized the term 91裸聊视频渇rom hell91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� as in 91裸聊视频渢he date from hell91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频渢he job from hell.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭hat just came out of my brain one day and I kept repeating it a lot for some reason. Same thing with the black clothes. I just felt really comfortable from the early 91裸聊视频�80s on and I never wore anything else. I never looked back.91裸聊视频�
After getting sober from drugs and alcohol in 1994, Lewis put out his 2008 memoir, 91裸聊视频淭he Other Great Depression91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� a collection of fearless, essay style riffs on his life 91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淩eflections from Hell.91裸聊视频�
Lewis was the youngest of three siblings 91裸聊视频� his brother was older than him by six years, and his sister by nine. His father died young and his mother had emotional problems. 91裸聊视频淪he didn91裸聊视频檛 get me at all. I owe my career to my mother. I should have given her my agent91裸聊视频檚 commission,91裸聊视频� he told The Washington Post in 2020.
91裸聊视频淟ooking back on it now, as a full-blown, middle-aged, functioning anxiety collector, I can admit without cringing that my parents had their fair share of tremendous qualities, yet, being human much of the day, had more than just a handful of flaws as well,91裸聊视频� he wrote in his memoir.
Lewis quickly found a new family performing at New York91裸聊视频檚 Improv. 91裸聊视频淚 was 23, and all sorts of people were coming in and out and watching me, like Steve Allen and Bette Midler. David Brenner certainly took me under his wing. To drive home to my little dump in New Jersey often knowing that Steve Allen said, 91裸聊视频榊ou got it,91裸聊视频� that validation kept me going in a big, big way.91裸聊视频�
He had a cameo in 91裸聊视频淟eaving Las Vegas,91裸聊视频� which led to his first major dramatic role as Jimmy Epstein, an addict fighting for his life in the indie film, 91裸聊视频淒runks.91裸聊视频� He played Don Rickles91裸聊视频� son on one season of 91裸聊视频淒addy Dearest91裸聊视频� and a rabbi on 91裸聊视频�7th Heaven.91裸聊视频�
Lewis91裸聊视频� recurring role on 91裸聊视频淐urb Your Enthusiasm91裸聊视频� can be credited directly to his friendship with fellow comedian, producer and series star Larry David. Both native Brooklynites 91裸聊视频� born in the same Brooklyn hospital 91裸聊视频� they first met and became friends as rivals while attending the same summer camp at age 13. He was cast from the beginning, bickering with David on unpaid bills and common courtesies.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.
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