Richard Lewis passed away at 76 yesterday. No cause of death was given, but he was battling Parkinson's Disease.

This one kind of hit me hard, as a fan. Lewis was a big deal to me due to his recurring role on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". He was a pretty big part of one of the best shows to ever be on tv. Lewis and Larry David are lifelong friends. It showed on the show. The back and forth, the yelling, the lack of courtesy, it all played so well because of their closeness and chemistry. They knew each other so well that they knew how to goad the other one, or how to try and make the other laugh and break while filming the show. It was glorious to watch. To see David get on Lewis' nerves whenever he would cause a break up with the next girl that he would claim to be "the one". These interactions were amazing to watch. I also really enjoyed in recent seasons of the show how they shifted from who Lewis was dating to what they were going to do in the afterlife. In one of the most recent episodes, they yell fight at one another about putting each other in their own personal will. Seeing David endlessly challenge Lewis was wonderful. And all the while you could see Lewis smiling wryly back at David. The closeness and love between the two friends was very apparent. I walk around the house and say "Richie boy!" all the time. That was how David would greet him whenever he was on the show. Richard Lewis' work on "Curb" was his greatest achievement in my mind. He will go down as one of the best people to ever be on this show. But Richard Lewis did so much more.

The first time I saw him was in the Mel Brooks movie, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights". I watched this movie over and over again as a kid. I rewatched it in the last couple of years, and while it wasn't as great as I thought it was when I was a kid, I still found myself chuckling at it, mostly at Richard Lewis' character. He played the king, and he had this mole that always moved. Every new scene, that mole would be in a different spot. And Lewis really played it up. He also got to do some of his standup routine in the movie, and that was just as funny. I liked how he would break character and go into his bits. It was great.

That is another thing I always conflate with Richard Lewis, stand up comedy. He was one of the first stand up comedians I ever saw on tv, and I clocked him as the stand up guy. He had a very unique look, and that was my influence with comedians going forward. Anytime I saw a person that looked or dressed like Lewis, I assumed they were also a standup. I first saw Steven Wright on tv with a hat and black suit coat, thought he looked like Lewis so I assumed he was a comedian, and then he did stand up comedy. The first time I watched "Seinfeld", and saw his stand up at the beginning, he was dressed like Richard Lewis. During that era, he was the guy that made me think of stand up comedy and guided my direction into being a fan of the artform. He ushered me into something I adore so much now.

Outside of "Curb" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", he was the Golem in "The Simpsons" treehouse of horrors. He appeared as himself on the highly underrated "Dr Katz". He co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in "Anything But Love". And lent his voice to "Bojack Horseman". Richard Lewis has always been around in Hollywood. He stayed working, be it tv and movies. But he was, and always will be, best known as one of the best stand up comics to ever do it. He was one of a kind. He was a legend. And he will be missed.

Rest in Peace Richie Boy. You will be missed. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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