Actor, comedian and author Richard Belzer, best known for playing a cynical detective on the long-running series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” has died, his friends and former editor said Sunday.
Belzer, 78, died early Sunday morning at his home in southern France, his longtime friend Bill Scheft told The Hollywood Reporter.
“He had a lot of health problems and his last words were, ‘Fuck you bastard,'” Scheft said.
Tony Lyons, who published one of Belzer’s most recent books on conspiracy theories, praised him as brave and unconventional in a statement to HuffPost confirming his death.
“Richard Belzer was an incredibly brave man and his death is a great loss, especially at a time when the mass of people are living holy lives,” said Skyhorse Publishing Lyons.
Evan Agostini/Invision via Associated Press
Fellow actress and comedian Laraine Newman, who worked with Belzer on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” when he was a comedian and she was an original cast member, was among the first to react to the news of Belzer’s death.
“He was one of my first friends when I came to New York to do SNL. We went out to dinner every week in Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master of table work. RIP dear,” he wrote on Twitter Sunday.
Belzer was best known professionally for playing Detective John Munch in more than 300 episodes of the NBC drama “Law & Order.” He also played Munch in the 1990s crime drama Homicide: Life in the Street, set in Baltimore.
He left “Law & Order: SVU” as a series regular in 2013.
Warren Leight, who served as showrunner on “Law & Order: SVU,” called Belzer “hard-working, warm, fierce, smart, surprisingly kind” as he reacted to the news of his death.
“I loved writing for Munch and I loved being with Belz. I heard this will be his farewell scene posted on Twitter while sharing a video of Belzer’s last appearance on the show.
Although Belzer’s character has had occasional mentions on the show since his departure, he wasn’t brought up for quite some time until an unexpected reveal last week. Munch’s former partner Odafin “Fin” Tutuola – who is played by Ice-T – said Munch is back “in Baltimore”.
“He is retired. I think he just ran out of gas,” Fin said. “I met a divorced female rabbi. And he bought his old police bar. It’s 1:30 in the morning. Probably messing with a barfly. That skinny bastard got punched every second of the day.”
Belzer’s books include a mystery series, a comedy guide, and several publications about alleged cover-ups and conspiracies, including his most recent book, Corporate Conspiracies: How Wall Street Took Over Washington.
“Belzer wrote books that would certainly be heavily censored by today’s corporate media, which has a stranglehold on what is presented as truth to the American people,” Lyons said.
In addition to exposing conspiracies, real or alleged, Beltzer’s website also describes him as “particularly interested in violence, gun control, and animal welfare” and lists the nonprofits he has encouraged support for. These include the North Shore Animal League, a no-kill rescue and adoption organization based in New York, and the Brady Campaign, which advocates for gun control and against gun violence.
“If you’re a fan of The Belz, you probably already know that beneath that TV tough guy image and caustic humor, there’s a soft, lighthearted heart,” his website reads. “He supports key organizations in these areas and wants you to support them as well.”
