The official reason why Richard Lewis died has been found.
People got a copy of the actor and comedian’s death certificate, which says he died at 9:22 p.m. on February 27 from “cardiopulmonary arrest.” Lewis died at the age of 76, and his death certificate said that Parkinson’s disease was the second cause of his death. (The Blast was the first to report it.)
What the National Library of Medicine calls “adequate heart function and respiration” stopping is cardiopulmonary arrest.
This usually ends in death. The NLM said that people who have coronary artery disease often have this condition.
In April 2023, Lewis said that he had been told in 2021 that he had Parkinson’s disease, which is “a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by nerves.”
He said that because of this, he quit being a comedian and had been privately fighting the disease for the years after being diagnosed.
The Blast says that the actor will be buried at the Temple of Aaron Cemetery in Roseville, Minnesota. People asked Lewis’s representatives for a comment, but they didn’t answer right away.
Lewis’s agent, Jeff Abraham, told PEOPLE on February 28 that the actor had “passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles” the night before after “suffering a heart attack.” This confirmed the news of the comedian’s death.
“His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time,” he said.
A rep for HBO, which streams Curb Your Enthusiasm, said, “We are very sad to hear that Richard Lewis has died.” He was the funniest, smartest, and most talented person I’ve ever seen. Richard will always be loved by everyone at HBO and Curb Your Enthusiasm…
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 2020, Lewis talked about his choice to come back to the show in his later years, even though he had two back surgeries because of terrible pain. He said, “After 20 years of being associated with the whole show, it was too much on my mind that I couldn’t let [Larry David] down.”
Lewis told PEOPLE some positive things about his health less than three weeks before he died. He had just missed the season 12 premiere party for Curb on January 30.
“For the past couple of years, my Parkinson’s has made it hard for me to walk sometimes.” It’s not important. He said, “I didn’t want to go to the event and spend five or six hours talking to so many people. I’m getting through it fine so far.” “That will only lead to trouble.”
While he was “disappointed” to have missed the party, he did say, “All things considered, I’m doing quite well.”
