Richard Lewis spoke about death in his final scene on Curb Your Enthusiasm, the HBO hit he’d been a regular on for the duration of its 12-season run.
The beloved comic, who portrayed a fictionalized version of himself on the show opposite creator and star Larry David, died at 76 Tuesday following a fatal heart attack, his publicist Jeff Abraham said.
The scene, from the third episode of the show’s recent 12th season – titled Vertical Drop, Horizontal Tug – aired less than two weeks ago, on February 18.
In it, Lewis and David – who knew one another as teenagers – showed off their considerable comedic chemistry while playing golf and shooting the breeze.
In the scene, Lewis told David, who also plays himself on the show, that he was leaving him in his will.
Richard Lewis, who died Tuesday at 76, spoke about death in his final scene on Curb Your Enthusiasm, the HBO hit he’d been a regular on for the duration of its 12-season run opposite lifelong friend Larry David, 76
The beloved comic, who portrayed a fictionalized version of himself on the show opposite creator and star Larry David, died at 76 Tuesday following a fatal heart attack
‘I’m leaving you in my will, I’m tweaking it and you’re in it,’ Lewis told David, who was immediately uncomfortable with the idea.
‘No, no, no, don’t do that … I don’t want to be in, I have money, I don’t need it, give it to someone who needs it,’ David told Lewis, who remained insistent that he get a portion of the proceedings.
‘When I die I want you to know how much I care about you,’ Lewis told David. ‘You’re my best friend, you’re getting it.’
David continued to protest receiving any funds from Lewis’ will, saying that he would give it to charity, and was making a ‘Sherman-esque’ statement, in reference to American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman.
Lewis quipped, ‘I’m sick of your historical references!’
David put a twist on the famous quote from the late general in saying, ‘If nominated, I will not run, and if bequeathed, I will not accept.’
Lewis said in response, ‘Well I’m bequeathing!’ telling David that he was hurting his feelings by not accepting the will money.
Lewis told David, ‘Well, I’m giving it to you anyway,’ to which a frustrated David replied, ‘F*** you.’
Lewis’s final scene was emblematic of his phenomenal comedic chemistry with David, as the two friends and collaborators often engaged in entertaining arguments throughout the span of the hit series. Lewis appeared on 41 episodes of the hit comedy since its first episode in 2000.
The scene, from the third episode of the show’s recent 12th season – titled Vertical Drop, Horizontal Tug – aired less than two weeks ago, on February 18
In what would be Lewis’ last scene on the series, he and David showed off their considerable comedic chemistry while playing golf and shooting the breeze
In the scene, Lewis told David, who also plays himself on the show, that he was leaving him in his will, adding, ‘You’re my best friend, you’re getting it’
Lewis told David, ‘When I die I want you to know how much I care about you’
A number of social media users commented on the significance of the recently-aired scene on upon news of the comedian’s passing.
‘This literally aired just over a week ago in the current series,’ one user said. ‘For Richard Lewis to have passed away now makes this conversation so profound.’
Another user said that the episode in question ‘will go down as one of the greatest in the show’s history.’
Said one user: ‘Larry & Richard’s on screen chemistry across the entire show is unmatched. Legend.’
One user noted that the low-key emotional scene was likely penned with Lewis’s health issues in mind.
‘He’d been living with Parkinson’s disease for some time,’ the user said. ‘I bet Lewis and David were quite aware of what this scene meant. Comedians are built different. So much brutal honesty and humor. Vulnerability that we can all relate to. Truly one of the greats. RIP Richard Lewis.’
Lewis and David were lifelong friends, as both comics were born in the same hospital in Brooklyn, New York.
They initially crossed paths attending summer camp with one another when they were 13, and reunited on the New York City comedy circuit years later.
David continued to protest receiving any funds from Lewis’ will, saying that he would give it to charity, and was making a ‘Sherman-esque’ statement, in reference to American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman
Lewis appeared on 41 episodes of the hit comedy since its pilot episode in 2000
A number of social media users commented on the significance of the recently-aired scene on upon news of the comedian’s passing
David was among the peers of the late comic to mourn him publicly upon news of his passing.
‘Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,’ David said in a statement released by HBO. ‘He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.’
Among the other notable names in entertainment who hailed the late comedian included Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Jimmy Kimmel, Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks and Michael McKean, among others.
Lewis in 2021 said that he would not be appearing on Curb Your Enthusiasm’s season 11 as he was on the mend from a series of surgeries. He would eventually appear on an episode in the season before coming back for the show’s season 12.
The comedian took to social media April 24, 2023 updating fans on his health, as he revealed he’d been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2021.