Richard Lewis had been a veteran of the stand-up stage and the big and small screen for more than 40 years, so generations knew the man’s self-deprecating and acerbic wit. Whether it was his early TV days on Anything But Love or his time playing “himself” on Curb Your Enthusiasm, many fans likely felt like they got to know the actor and comedian. This made yesterday’s news of Richard Lewis' death hard to take, but it’s even harder knowing that just weeks ago he was giving a very positive update on his health.
Last year Richard Lewis revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. While the degenerative illness eventually makes even basic movement difficult if not impossible, Lewis told People just a couple weeks ago that he was doing pretty well, but had skipped out on the Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 premiere event just to play it safe. Lewis said…
I have some occasional walking difficulties with Parkinson's the last couple of years. It's not major. I'm getting through it fine so far, but I didn't want to go to, spend five or six hours mingling with so many people. It's just asking for trouble.
It’s more than a little heartbreaking to read Richard Lewis’ words now. The Parkinson’s diagnosis was almost certainly a blow, but it wasn’t getting him down. He was still able to be part of the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, despite missing Curb's Season 11 and the disease was only having a minor impact on his day-to-day life. He was very positive about everything and he didn’t seem to be worried too much about the future. He continued…
But luckily I got it late in life and they say you progress very slowly if at all and I'm on the right meds so I'm cool.
The official cause of death for Richard Lewis was a heart attack, so it seems his Parkinson’s disease was not directly related to his death. Considering how much he was looking forward to, it just makes it all so frustrating. We’ve seen actors like Michael J. Fox continue to work despite advancing Parkinson’s Disease, so there was no reason to believe we wouldn’t still have years of Lewis’ comedy to enjoy in the years to come.
Richard Lewis was known for a style of comedy in which his own personal struggles, with everything from depression to addiction, were dealt with candidly. One can only imagine just what sort of material he would have been able to create had he been so inclined.
Richard Lewis fans and friends have turned out with remembrances following his death. His co-stars from Jamie Lee Curtis to Larry David spoke out and it’s clear that, despite Lewis’ public persona as a walking mess, he meant a lot to people, and had a positive impact on their lives. He will be missed.
