REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Richard Belzer, who was a staple on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for the series’ first 14 seasons, has reportedly died at 78.
His longtime family friend Bill Scheft confirmed the news of his passing to The Daily Beast on Monday, adding that the actor had “died at home with this family around him.”
“I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing. I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL,” actress Laraine Newman, who worked with Belzer during his appearances on Saturday Night Live, said in a tweet Sunday morning. “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.”