Richard Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname 香蕉视频直播淭he Prince of Pain,香蕉视频直播� has died. He was 76.
Lewis, who in 2023, died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham.
A regular performer in clubs and on late-night TV for decades, Lewis also played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series 香蕉视频直播淎nything But Love香蕉视频直播� and the reliably neurotic Prince John in 香蕉视频直播淢el Brooks香蕉视频直播� Robin Hood: Men In Tights.香蕉视频直播� He re-introduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淐urb Your Enthusiasm,香蕉视频直播� kvetching regularly.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I香蕉视频直播檓 not thrilled about,香蕉视频直播� he once joked onstage. To Jimmy Kimmel he said: 香蕉视频直播淭his morning, I tried to go to bed. I couldn香蕉视频直播檛 sleep. I counted sheep but I only had six of them and they all had hip replacements.香蕉视频直播�
Comedy Central named Lewis one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he earned a berth in GQ magazine香蕉视频直播檚 list of the 香蕉视频直播�20th Century香蕉视频直播檚 Most Influential Humorists.香蕉视频直播� He lent his humor for charity causes, including Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.
香蕉视频直播淲atching his stand-up is like sitting in on a very funny and often dark therapy session,香蕉视频直播� the Los Angeles Times said in 2014. The Philadelphia香蕉视频直播檚 City Paper called him 香蕉视频直播渢he Jimi Hendrix of monologists.香蕉视频直播� Mel Brooks once said he 香蕉视频直播渕ay just be the Franz Kafka of modern-day comedy.香蕉视频直播�
Comedians took to social media Wednesday to share their thoughts, including Albert Books who called Lewis 香蕉视频直播渁 brilliantly funny man who will missed by all. The world needed him now more than ever香蕉视频直播� on X, formerly Twitter. Other tributes came from Bette Midler, Michael McKean and Paul Feig, who called Lewis 香蕉视频直播渙ne of the funniest people on the planet.香蕉视频直播�
Following his graduation from The Ohio State University in 1969, the New York-born Lewis began a stand-up career, honing his craft on the circuit with other contemporaries also just starting out like Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze and Billy Crystal.
He recalled Rodney Dangerfield hiring him for $75 to fill in at his New York club, Dangerfield香蕉视频直播檚. 香蕉视频直播淚 had a lot of great friends early on who believed in me, and I met pretty iconic people who really helped me, told me to keep working on my material. And I never looked back,香蕉视频直播� he told The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2010.
Unlike contemporary Robin Williams, Lewis allowed audiences into his world and melancholy, pouring his torment and pain onto the stage. Fans favorably compared him to the ground-breaking comedian Lenny Bruce.
香蕉视频直播淚 take great pains not to be mean-spirited,香蕉视频直播� Lewis told The Palm Beach Post in 2007. 香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 like to take real handicaps that people have to overcome with no hope in sight. I steer clear of that. That香蕉视频直播檚 not funny to me. Tragedy is funny to other humorists, but it香蕉视频直播檚 not to me, unless you can make a point that香蕉视频直播檚 helpful.香蕉视频直播�
Singer Billy Joel has said he was referring to Lewis when he sang in 香蕉视频直播淢y Life香蕉视频直播� of an old friend who 香蕉视频直播渂ought a ticket to the West Coast/Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.香蕉视频直播�
In 1989 at Carnegie Hall, he appeared with six feet of yellow legal sheets filled with material and taped together for a 2 1/2-hour set that led to two standing ovations. The night was 香蕉视频直播渢he highlight of my career,香蕉视频直播� he told The Washington Post in 2020.
Lewis told GQ his signature look came incidentally, saying his obsession with dressing in black came from watching the television Western 香蕉视频直播淗ave Gun 香蕉视频直播� Will Travel,香蕉视频直播� with a cowboy in all-black, when he was a kid. He also popularized the term 香蕉视频直播渇rom hell香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� as in 香蕉视频直播渢he date from hell香蕉视频直播� or 香蕉视频直播渢he job from hell.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淭hat just came out of my brain one day and I kept repeating it a lot for some reason. Same thing with the black clothes. I just felt really comfortable from the early 香蕉视频直播�80s on and I never wore anything else. I never looked back.香蕉视频直播�
After getting sober from drugs and alcohol in 1994, Lewis put out his 2008 memoir, 香蕉视频直播淭he Other Great Depression香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� a collection of fearless, essay style riffs on his life 香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淩eflections from Hell.香蕉视频直播�
Lewis was the youngest of three siblings 香蕉视频直播� his brother was older than him by six years, and his sister by nine. His father died young and his mother had emotional problems. 香蕉视频直播淪he didn香蕉视频直播檛 get me at all. I owe my career to my mother. I should have given her my agent香蕉视频直播檚 commission,香蕉视频直播� he told The Washington Post in 2020.
香蕉视频直播淟ooking back on it now, as a full-blown, middle-aged, functioning anxiety collector, I can admit without cringing that my parents had their fair share of tremendous qualities, yet, being human much of the day, had more than just a handful of flaws as well,香蕉视频直播� he wrote in his memoir.
Lewis quickly found a new family performing at New York香蕉视频直播檚 Improv. 香蕉视频直播淚 was 23, and all sorts of people were coming in and out and watching me, like Steve Allen and Bette Midler. David Brenner certainly took me under his wing. To drive home to my little dump in New Jersey often knowing that Steve Allen said, 香蕉视频直播榊ou got it,香蕉视频直播� that validation kept me going in a big, big way.香蕉视频直播�
He had a cameo in 香蕉视频直播淟eaving Las Vegas,香蕉视频直播� which led to his first major dramatic role as Jimmy Epstein, an addict fighting for his life in the indie film, 香蕉视频直播淒runks.香蕉视频直播� He played Don Rickles香蕉视频直播� son on one season of 香蕉视频直播淒addy Dearest香蕉视频直播� and a rabbi on 香蕉视频直播�7th Heaven.香蕉视频直播�
Lewis香蕉视频直播� recurring role on 香蕉视频直播淐urb Your Enthusiasm香蕉视频直播� can be credited directly to his friendship with fellow comedian, producer and series star Larry David. Both native Brooklynites 香蕉视频直播� born in the same Brooklyn hospital 香蕉视频直播� they first met and became friends as rivals while attending the same summer camp at age 13. He was cast from the beginning, bickering with David on unpaid bills and common courtesies.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.
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