Originally appeared on E! Online
The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" family is honoring Richard Lewis.
After the actor died of a heart attack on Feb. 27, his former costars spoke out to mourn the loss of the 76-year-old, including Curb star Larry David.
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"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," David said in a statement obtained by Variety Feb. 28. "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."
Their costar Cheryl Hines also paid tribute to the comedy legend, who played a fictional version of himself on the HBO show from 2000 to 2024.
"When I was young I had the biggest crush on Richard Lewis," Hines wrote on Instagram Feb. 28. "He was the funniest person on stage and the most handsome comedian."
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So, when she was cast on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," it was a "dream come true" for the actress.
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"Through the years I learned who Richard really was and the gifts he gave," the 58-year-old continued. "Yes, he was the comedian I fell in love with, but he was also one of the most loving people I know. He would take time to tell the people he loved what they meant to him—especially in recent years. In between takes on Curb, he would tell me how special I was to him and how much he loved me."
Hines ended by offering her condolences to his longtime pal David and his wife of nearly 20 years, Joyce Lapinsky, writing, "Sending my love to Joyce and to all of Richard's family. Larry, Richard adored you. But you know that."
In addition to the "Curb" cast, Lewis was also honored by friend and "Anything but Love" costar Jamie Lee Curtis, who recalled exactly where she was when she saw a billboard of him on Sunset Blvd., which inspired her to want to cast him in the '80s sitcom.
"He made me laugh, which is the one thing that a strong, capable woman, can't really do for herself," she remembered in a sentimental Feb. 28 Instagram post. "He got the part when I snort laughed when he mispronounced the word Bundt cake. He blew everyone else away."
Calling him both a "wonderful actor" and "so freaking funny," the "Freaky Friday" actress went on to recount the final message she received from Lewis, who shared his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease last year.
"Richard's last text to me, was hoping that I could convince ABC/Disney to put out another boxed set of episodes of the show," Curtis noted. "He also is the reason I am sober. He helped me. I am forever grateful for him for that act of grace alone. He found love with Joyce and that, of course, besides his sobriety, is what mattered most to him. I'm weeping as I write this. Strange way of saying thank you to a sweet and funny man."
