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Comedian Larry David recently spoke about his iconic show Curb Your Enthusiasm, which came to an end on Sunday, after running successfully for 12 seasons. Larry, appearing on Sunday Today with Willie Geist on April 7, reminisced about his late co-star and friend Richard Lewis.
The 76-year-old comedian, speaking about Richard’s death, said that he sometimes speaks to the actor. Larry said:
“He was just the sweetest guy.”
The comedian continued:
“It’s so hard to believe that he’s not here. Actually, I ... I talk to him because I feel he’s ... he's watching me, and I tell him to, you know, ‘Hey, leave me alone. You know. Keep away. You know. I’ve got stuff to do.’"
Larry David said Richard Lewis was like a brother to him:
"I loved him. It's a ... big loss."
Richard Lewis died on February 27, 2024, at 76 in his Los Angeles home. His death certificate declared the primary cause of his death to be "cardiopulmonary arrest" and Parkinson’s disease to be the secondary cause.
Richard played a foil to Larry’s semi-fictionalized version in the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Larry David and Richard Lewis were childhood friends-turned coworkers
In an interview in August 2023, Richard Lewis told The Spectator, he met Larry at a summer sports camp at the age of 12. Richard said:
“I disliked him intensely. He was cocky. He was arrogant.”
The late comic continued:
“When we played baseball, I tried to hit him with the ball. We were arch-rivals. I couldn’t wait for the camp to be over just to get away from Larry. I’m sure he felt the same way.”
The two childhood friends cross paths again in NYC’s stand-up comedy scene in the mid-1970s. After Richard’s death, Larry David noted in a statement:
“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital, and for most of my life, he’s been like a brother to me.”
Larry described:
“He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.”
On his decision to end Curb Your Enthusiasm, creator Larry David told Willie Geist that he was too old to appear in front of the camera each week. He wondered how he could continue acting the way he did on the show. Larry reasoned:
“It's insane. Yeah, I can do it in my 50s and 60s to mid-70s. I'm not going into the 80s acting like that!”
When Geist asked Larry if he held any sentimentality about the show ending, the comedian responded that he could not have imagined having more fun in his life than he did during the show.
After Richard Lewis went on a hiatus from acting due to his health, the comic reunited with Larry David on Episode 3 of the show's final season, titled “Vertical Drop, Horizontal Tug”.
The two friends were seen entering the golf course on a cart while conversing about their golf swings and Wordle streaks.
However, they soon started bantering when Richard told Larry he changed his will to include the latter. Larry declined the offer, saying that he doesn't need it, as he already has money, to which Richard said:
"When I die, I want you to know how much I cared about you. You’re my best friend. You’re getting it."
Despite Larry's consistent refusal, his friend remained persistent with his wish. Richard Lewis breathed his last 10 days after the episode aired.
