Following the news of Richard Belzer's death, his friend has revealed the star's final words... and let's just say they aren't as heartfelt as you'd assume they would be.
Now, Belzer was always known for his chaotic attitude. As a comic and an actor, he kept audiences entertained with his crass humor as well as his cynical take on life - which earned him enormous fame in the industry.
The 78-year-old made his debut back in 1974 in the indie comedy film The Groove Tube, before going on to be a warm-up act on Saturday Night Live.
After a few more stints here and there, he eventually settled on Homicide: Life on the Street which told the story of the Baltimore police homicide unit. Belzer played detective John Munch who went on to define his career as an entertainer.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Belzer passed away on Sunday night at his home in Bozouls in southwest France.
His long-term friend, Bill Scheft revealed to the outlet that "He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, 'F*** you, motherf*****.'"
Not exactly poignant, but very typical of Belzer.
The actor made his final appearance as Detective Munch in 2016 during Law & Order: SVU but between the two dramas, he also played the detective on a whopping eight other series.
When Homicide eventually called it quits after seven seasons, it seemed as though he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to the character.
"When Homicide was canceled, I was in France with my wife and she said, 'Let’s open a bottle of champagne and toast: You did this character for seven years,'" Belzer recounted in the 2009 book Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion.
"And then I remembered that Benjamin Bratt was leaving L&O, and so I called my manager and said, 'Call Dick Wolf — maybe Munch can become [Det. Lennie] Briscoe’s partner' - because we had teamed for the crossover. So he called and Dick said, 'What a great idea, but I’ve already cast Jesse Martin to be the new guy [opposite Jerry Orbach].'"
As per The Hollywood Reporter, the actor was also thankful to see the character expand into other shows too.
"I never asked anyone to be on their show. So it’s doubly flattering to me to see me depicted in a script and that I’m so recognizable and lovable as the sarcastic detective and smart-a**," Belzer said in 2008. "Much to my delight, because he is a great character for me to play, it’s fun for me. So I’m not upset about being typecast at all."
Upon hearing the news of his death, Universal Television and NBC released a joint statement.
"His professionalism, talents, and dedication to the craft made him a pillar in the industry, but it was his humor, compassion, and loving heart that made him family," they added.
Dick Wolf, the creator of SVU, also paid tribute to Belzer in a statement to Variety saying: "Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters."
"I first worked with Richard on the 'Law & Order'/'Homicide' crossover and loved the character so much, I told Tom (Fontana) that I wanted to make him one of the original characters on 'SVU'. The rest is history. Richard brought humor and joy into all our lives, was the consummate professional and we will all miss him very much," Wolf concluded.
Rest in peace. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.
