Renowned comedian Richard Lewis, recognized for his animated, all-black attire and candid exploration of his neurotic tendencies, earning him the moniker “The Prince of Pain,” has passed away at the age of 76.
Lewis, who disclosed his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2023, passed away at his residence in Los Angeles on Tuesday night following a heart attack, as confirmed by his publicist Jeff Abraham.
A fixture in comedy clubs and late-night television for many years, Lewis portrayed Marty Gold, the romantic lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series “Anything But Love,” and the reliably anxious Prince John in “Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights.” He gained renewed popularity among a new audience through his role alongside Larry David in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” regularly sharing his grievances.
“I’m paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I’m not thrilled about,” he quipped during one of his performances. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, he humorously recounted, “This morning, I tried to go to bed. I couldn’t sleep. I counted sheep but I only had six of them and they all had hip replacements.”
Recognized as one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central, Lewis also secured a spot in GQ magazine’s compilation of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.” He utilized his comedic talents for charitable endeavors, including Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.
Described by the Los Angeles Times as “like sitting in on a very funny and often dark therapy session,” Lewis’s monologues were likened to the virtuosity of Jimi Hendrix by Philadelphia’s City Paper. Mel Brooks once remarked that Lewis “may just be the Franz Kafka of modern-day comedy.”
After graduating from Ohio State University in 1969, the New York native embarked on a stand-up career, refining his skills alongside fellow budding comedians like Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze, and Billy Crystal.
Reflecting on his early career, Lewis fondly remembered Rodney Dangerfield hiring him for $75 to perform at his New York club, Dangerfield’s. “I had a lot of great friends early on who believed in me, and I met pretty iconic people who helped me, and told me to keep working on my material. And I never looked back,” he recounted to The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2010.
Unlike his contemporary Robin Williams, Lewis invited audiences into his world of melancholy, channeling his torment and anguish onto the stage. Fans drew parallels between him and the pioneering comedian Lenny Bruce.
“I take great care not to be mean-spirited,” Lewis emphasized in an interview with The Palm Beach Post in 2007. “I don’t like to exploit real handicaps that people have to overcome with no hope in sight. I steer clear of that. That’s not funny to me. Tragedy may be humorous to other humorists, but it’s not to me unless you can make a beneficial point.”