Actor Richard Belzer, Who Played ‘Law & Order’ Detective, Has Died

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Actor, comic and creator Richard Belzer, who was recognized for portraying a cynical detective on the long-running “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” TV collection, has died, it was reported Sunday.

Belzer, 78, died early Sunday at his residence within the southern France, his longtime good friend Bill Scheft instructed The Hollywood Reporter.

“He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘Fuck you, motherfucker,’” Scheft stated.

Fellow actress and comic Laraine Newman, who labored with Belzer at NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” when he was a comic book and he or she was an authentic forged member, was among the many first to react to the information of Belzer’s loss of life.

“We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest,” she tweeted Sunday.

Actors Dann Florek (left) and Richard Belzer from “Law & Order: SVU” attend the NBC Network Upfront at Radio City Music Hall on May 13, 2013, in New York.

Evan Agostini/Invision by way of Associated Press

Belzer was greatest recognized professionally for his portrayal of Detective John Munch in additional than 300 episodes of the NBC “Law & Order” drama. He additionally portrayed Munch within the Nineteen Nineties police drama “Homicide: Life in the Street,” which was based mostly in Baltimore.

He left “Law & Order: SVU” as a collection common in 2013.

Warren Leight, who labored as a showrunner on “Law & Order: SVU,” referred to as Belzer “open, warm, acerbic, whip smart, surprisingly kind,” whereas reacting to information of his loss of life.

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“I loved writing for Munch, and I loved being with Belz. We sensed this would be his parting scene,” he posted on Twitter whereas sharing a video clip of Belzer’s ultimate look on the present.

Though Belzer’s character had occasional mentions on the present after his departure, he hadn’t been introduced up shortly till an surprising revelation final week. Munch’s former accomplice, Odafin “Fin” Tutuola — who’s performed by Ice-T — stated Munch had moved “back to Baltimore.”

“He retired. I guess he just ran out of gas,” Fin stated. “Met a divorced female rabbi. And he bought back his old cop bar. It’s 1:30 a.m. He’s probably cracking a joke to some barfly. That skinny bastard had a punchline for every second of the day.”

Belzer additionally wrote a number of books, together with against the law fiction collection and a e-book on conspiracy theories titled “UFOs, JFK and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don’t Have to Be Crazy to Believe.”

This is a growing story. Check again for updates.