Richard Belzer, beloved stand-up comic and "Law & Order: SVU" star, died at home in France, multiple outlets have confirmed. He was 78.
Belzer played cynical, wisecracking police detective John Munch on "Law & Order: SVU" for more than 200 episodes, a character he originated on "Homicide: Life on the Street" and carried into guest spots on other "Law & Order" franchise shows, as well as in numerous guest appearances across five TV networks, including HBO's "The Wire."
"The always anti-establishment Belzer brought a counterculture element to the police precinct with the offbeat detective," Doug Ganley wrote for CNN in 2013. "The romantically challenged, conspiracy theorist, temperamental Munch was a cop concerned with civil rights and a penchant for self-deprecation."
Longtime "Saturday Night Live" fans also know Belzer as the show's warm-up comedian in its early seasons, where he also made several guest appearances, including this sketch standing in as Weekend Update's Chevy Chase.
Original "SNL" cast member Laraine Newman shared this personal remembrance on Twitter: "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. 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."
More tributes poured forth today from Belzer's fellow comedians and actors, including his "SVU" co-stars Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, with Meloni tweeting, "Good bye mon ami" and Hargitay writing on Instagram that she would "miss you, your unique light, and your singular take on this strange world."
"Richard Belzer was one of the most kindest and welcoming actors when I guested on two episodes of Law and Order: SVU," tweeted Marlee Matlin. "His passing is truly a loss for Hollywood and I will miss him dearly."
"Sweet sweet man & funny as hell," tweeted Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Det. Robert Goren on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."
Billy Crystal called Belzer "simply hilarious. A genius at handling a crowd" while Marc Maron tweeted that Belzer "was an original. One of the greats, babe."
Belzer's close friend, author and former "Letterman" writer Bill Scheft, who has been working on a documentary about Belzer with Blake J. Harris, reports that "His last words were 'F**k you, motherf***er!'"
Harris shared a clip from their project of Belzer speaking to the magic of live comedy. "As an artist, the greatest thing for me is when I make the audience laugh in a moment that could only happen that night with that audience," Belzer said. "Sometimes I laugh with the audience because I'm hearing the joke at the same time they are."
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