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Fans Mourn Loss as Beloved 'Law & Order' and 'Homicide' Star Passes Away

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Actor Richard Belzer, who played the character of Detective John Munch on the shows “Homicide: Life on the Streets” and “Law & Order,” has died.

Belzer, who also had a career as a comedian, was 78, according to KGAN-TV.

Belzer launched his career as an audience warm-up act for “Saturday Night Live” between 1975 and 1980 and was also featured on the “National Lampoon Radio Hour” with multiple SNL stars.

In 1993 he took the part of Munch for “Homicide: Life on the Streets.” Six years later, he moved to “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” where Munch became a fixture.

Munch was written off the show in 2016, and retired from acting.

As noted on the website Popculture, Belzer played the character of Munch on 11 different shows, appearing on six different networks in the course of his career.

Belzer’s fans and friends remembered him on Twitter.

“I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing. I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL. We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest,” Laraine Newman wrote on Twitter.

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“I knew Richard, he was from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Acerbic and charming, he was famous for going everywhere with his little dog. If he came to Michael’s restaurant or Elaine’s, the little pup would get a spread-out blanket and a bowl of water beneath the table,” Roger Friedman wrote on Showbiz411.

“According to my sources, ‘SVU’ often asked Belzer to fly in from France to do cameos, but he was frail and could never make it,” he wrote.

Friedman noted that the character of Munch received a sendoff on his former show.

“This past Thursday, Munch was mentioned on ‘SVU’ by actor Ice T as Fin, his old partner,” he wrote.

“Fin said Munch had gone back to living in Baltimore, the home of ‘Homicide,’ had opened a bar and was happily married. The producers must have known Belzer was ill, and gave him a fitting goodbye tribute,” Friedman wrote.

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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