Jamie Lee Curtis Mourns the Loss of Richard Lewis
Jamie Lee Curtis shared her heartfelt sadness over the loss of her close friend and Curb Your Enthusiasm star, Richard Lewis, who passed away from a heart attack at 76.
A Storied Friendship
The 65-year-old actress, famous for her role as the witch in Halloween, also starred alongside Lewis in the sitcom Anything But Love. The show aired for four seasons from 1989 to 1992. Curtis reacted to the news by posting on her Instagram page on Wednesday, expressing her grief and gratitude. Bette Midler had initially announced Lewis’s passing.
A Heartfelt Tribute
Curtis shared several old photos of herself with Lewis and wrote a moving tribute, thanking him for being “the reason I am sober.” This July, Jamie celebrated 25 years of sobriety after overcoming an opioid addiction.
“I just learned that my friend Richard Lewis has died,” she wrote. “I remember exactly where I was on Sunset Boulevard when I saw a billboard of him for a stand-up special. It was during the casting process for the ABC pilot Anything But Love. I asked the casting staff to bring him in for the role of Marty Gold, my best friend and maybe boyfriend.”
Chemistry on and off Screen
Curtis continued, “I thought he looked good. Someone who could make me laugh—something a strong woman can’t easily do for herself. I laughed out loud when he mispronounced ‘Bundt cake,’ but he got the part. He blew everyone else away. Though they initially didn’t pick up the pilot for the love triangle show, they returned, saying, ‘The chemistry with Richard was so great. Could we revamp the original pilot?’ That’s how we ended up making the show for two years.”
Remembering Their Bond
“He was also a stand-up comedian but hated performing in front of real people. I, on the other hand, loved it,” Curtis explained. Lewis would hide his lines on props, door frames, and even on my face during close-ups. He always carried a clipboard with his lines, playing his roles exceptionally well—both deeply and humorously.
Curtis recalled, “We grieved together over the deaths of our friend and co-star Richard Frank and our friend and producer John Ritter. In his last text to me, Richard hoped I could persuade ABC/Disney to release another boxed set of episodes.”
A Personal Connection
Curtis expressed, “He’s also the reason I’m sober. He helped me, and I’ll always be grateful for that kindness.” She also mentioned Lewis’s wife, Joyce Lapinsky, stating, “He found love with Joyce, which, along with being sober, mattered most to him. Writing this brings me to tears.”
In closing, Curtis wrote, “This is an unusual way to thank a kind and funny man. Richard, may you rest in laughter. My Marty, I love you, Hannah!” Curtis followed up with another post, expressing her deep sorrow over Lewis’s passing, accompanied by a nostalgic photo and lyrics from the Anything But Love theme song.
A Tribute from the Heart
In the third and final season of the TV show ANYTHING BUT LOVE, which aired on ABC for a few years, singer-songwriter JD Souther wrote this beautiful theme song. Curtis wrote, “Try to find it on YouTube and listen. If not, I’ve written it here for you. Today I give these lyrics to my friend Richard Lewis.”
She quoted lyrics: “If we had never met/And the world got on without us/Just as if we were never that at all, We would still be searching for the next big thing and trying not to fall… Anything but love will do and hearts that beat like thunder. For everyone but you, anything but love would be enough.”
Tributes from Friends and Co-stars
Fellow Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David and other celebrities paid tribute to Lewis. David shared, “He’s been like a brother to me for most of my life,” noting that they were born three days apart in the same hospital. “He was the funniest and nicest person simultaneously, which doesn’t happen often. But today, he made me cry, and I’ll never forgive him for that.”
Cheryl Hines, who worked with Lewis on the show, added, “When I was young, I had the biggest crush on Richard Lewis. No one was funnier or more handsome on stage than him. Working with him on Curb Your Enthusiasm was a dream come true. Over the years, I learned more about Richard and the gifts he gave. I fell in love with him because he was funny but also one of the kindest people I know.”
Hines continued, “In recent years, he often told those he loved how much they meant to him. Between takes on Curb, he shared how important I was to him and how much he loved me. To be loved by Richard Lewis was a true gift. Richard, I love you. We will miss you. I love you, Joyce, and everyone in Richard’s family. Lawrence, Richard loved you. You already know that, though.”
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