Richard Belzer, American actor and stand-up comedian, dies at 78

Richard Belzer, the longtime stand-up comedian who became one of TV’s most indelible detective as John Munch on “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” has died at age 78.

Belzer died early Sunday, February 19 at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer in southwest France, writer Bill Scheft, a longtime friend of the actor and a writer who had been working on a documentary about Belzer told Newsmen

“He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘Fuck you, motherfucker,’” Scheft said.

Meanwhile, The actor Henry Winkler, Belzer’s cousin, tweeted, “Rest in peace Richard.”

However, Laraine Newman, an original ‘SNL’ cast member who worked alongside Belzer from the mid-’70s through the ’80s, also confirmed his death.

She wrote;

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. RIP dearest.

Belzer made his film debut in the hilarious The Groove Tube (1974), warmed up audiences in the early days of Saturday Night Live and famously was put to sleep by Hulk Hogan.