Late Richard Belzer honored by ‘SVU’ co-stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni
Richard Belzer #RichardBelzer
Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, the lead actors of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” have shared heartfelt statements on social media honoring their late co-star Richard Belzer, who died early Sunday at 78.
Belzer — who played wisecracking detective John Munch on “SVU,” “Homicide: Life on the Street” and numerous other TV series — reportedly died at his home in Bozouls, France, comedy writer Bill Scheft confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter.
“Goodbye my dear, dear friend,” wrote Hargitay, who portrays detective Olivia Benson in the “Law & Order” franchise.
“I will miss you, your unique light, and your singular take on this strange world. I feel blessed to have known you and adored you and worked with you, side by side, for so many years. How lucky the angels are to have you. I can hear them laughing already. I love you so very much, now and forever.”
On Twitter, Meloni posted a photo of himself kissing Belzer on the cheek and wrote, “Good bye mon ami. I love you. #TheBelz.” Meloni, who plays detective Elliot Stabler in “SVU,” also shared a behind-the-scenes picture of Hargitay and Belzer goofing around on the set of “SVU.”
Hargitay and Meloni were among several members of the “Law & Order” family who paid tribute to Belzer on Sunday. Prolific TV producer Dick Wolf, who created “SVU,” remembered Belzer as a “consummate professional” who “brought humor and joy into all our lives.”
“Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters,” Wolf wrote in a statement shared on Instagram.
“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. … We will all miss him very much.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.