Richard Belzer’s final appearance on Law & Order: SVU as detective John Munch went viral on Twitter after the news of his death left his fans devastated. Belzer died at the age of 78.
Laraine Newman, an original player on SNL, broke the news of his death on Twitter. She wrote: “Laraine Newman: 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.”
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The one-and-a-half-minute clip was posted and reposted by a number of his fans on social media. Watch the clip below:
Oh man…RIP Richard Belzer 🙏…his final appearance on Law & Order: SVU as John Munch has all the feels 🥹
pic.twitter.com/uIHqDZypuf— Wu-Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) February 19, 2023
Munch made his first appearance in 1993 on the first episode of Homicide and his last in 2016 on Law & Order: SVU.
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His character, detective Munch, was based on a real-life Baltimore detective. He was a highly intelligent, diligent investigator who believed in conspiracy theories. Incidentally, Belzer also believed in a number of conspiracy theories including JFK’s assassination, the existence of aliens and Elvis Presley’s death in real life.
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Munch also distrusted the system and pursued justice. He also resorts to dry, acerbic jokes and humor to make his point: “I’m a homicide detective. The only time I wonder why is when they tell me the truth,” one of Munch’s wife comebacks went.
Belzer died early Sunday at his home in Bozouls in southwest France, writer Bill Scheft, a longtime friend of the actor, told The Hollywood Reporter. “He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘Fuck you, motherfucker,’” Scheft said.
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Belzer made his movie debut in the hilarious The Groove Tube in 1974, warmed up audiences in the early days of Saturday Night Live, and was put to sleep by Hulk Hogan. He made his first appearance in 1993 on the first episode of Homicide and last in 2016 on Law and Order: SVU.