Edgy Comedian and renowned actor who played the role of Detective John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Richard Belzer has died at the age of 78.
Belzer’s Writer and friend Bill Scheft shared in an interview a few minutes ago that the actor passed away earlier today at his home in the South of France.
While Scheft did not disclose the initial cause of Belzer’s death, he, however, stated that had been ailing with multiple illnesses which include testicular cancer for some time.
Belzer was born in Connecticut in 1944. He described his mother as physically abusive and claimed his comedy career began when he would make his mom laugh to distract her from beating both him and his brother.
The actor played the role of Munch on multiple shows, including “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Law & Order: SVU,” and had cameos in other shows like “The X Files for a period of 23 years before his official retirement in 2016.
He was also a featured player on the National Lampoon Radio Hour with John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Harold Ramis.
Meanwhile, Belzer’s former co-star on the Law and Order SVU, Mariska Hargitay outlined in a heartfelt Instagram post that she will miss his presence and the impact he has had on the world.
“Goodbye my dear, dear friend. I will miss you, your unique light, and your singular take on this strange world. I feel so blessed to have known you and adored you and worked with you, side by side, for so many years. How lucky the angels are to have you. I can hear them laughing already. I love you so very much now and forever,” Hargitay wrote.
