The Official Cause Of Richard Lewis’ Death Has Been Made Public

Last week Richard Lewis — legendary comedian and Larry David’s frequent argument-mate on Curb Your Enthusiasm — passed away at the age of 76. At the time it was revealed that the cause of death was a heart attack, though it had also been known that he’d been suffering from Parkinson’s. Now more details have emerged.

The Blast got their hands on a copy of Lewis’ death certificate, which revealed that he died of a “cardiopulmonary arrest.” According to the National Library of Medicine, that’s a “cessation of adequate heart function and respiration.” It is also known as a cardiac arrest.

A secondary cause of death was also revealed: Parkinson’s disease, which Lewis battled for many years (though he only made his struggles public last year).

Lewis’ passing caused an avalanche of tributes from friends, colleagues, and fans alike. Social media was flooded with not only those but endless, hilarious clips of him getting into it with David on Curb, as they frequently did over the nearly quarter-of-a-century he spent appearing on the show.

On Thursday, two days after Lewis’ death, Joyce, his wife, used his Twitter/X account to address the outpouring of love.

“Thank you for your loving tributes,” she wrote. “He would be beyond thrilled and so touched, as am I. In response to the many queries , I know Richard would appreciate donations in his memory to the Los Angeles based charity or the charity of your choice.”

David himself posted a particularly gutting (and very singular) tribute to his longtime pal. “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,” he said in a statement. “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.”

(Via The Blast)