Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis wrote a powerful message on social media remembering her time working with comedian and actor Richard Lewis and sharing images of the two together.
The pair starred in the 1990s ABC sitcom "Anything But Love," in which Lewis was cast to play Curtis' best friend, or "maybe boyfriend" on the show.
Curtis wrote that she remembered where she was when she first saw a billboard advertising one of Lewis' shows on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Curtis said when producers were casting for the "Anything But Love" pilot, they decided to bring Lewis in for an audition, and the chemistry between Curtis and the "handsome" Lewis was strong. "He made me laugh, which is the one thing that a strong, capable woman, can't really do for herself," Curtis wrote. "He got the part when I snort laughed when he mispronounced the word Bundt cake. He blew everyone else away."
Richard Lewis, comedian and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' star, dies at 76
Lewis, who came to prominence in the 1980s and became a revered stand-up comedian, died after suffering a heart attack.
Curtis said while Lewis was a stand-up comic, he "hated" having a live audience at the show's tapings, while Curtis said she loved it, having never done live stage plays.
"He used to hide his lines everywhere on the set, on props, door frames, on my face in a close up and was always carrying a clipboard with his lines on them. It turns out he was a wonderful actor. Deep and so freaking funny," Curtis wrote.
Lewis and Curtis endured the deaths of two other Hollywood stars with whom they worked on "Anything But Love": actors John Ritter and Richard Frank.
Curtis said Lewis' last text to her was a bit of urging to try and see if she could convince ABC and Disney to release another boxed set of their episodes together on the show.
In her post, Curtis made a powerful revelation when she wrote, "He also is the reason I am sober. He helped me. I am forever grateful for him for that act of grace alone."
Curtis said she wept as she wrote the powerful message to the "sweet and funny man."
"Rest in laughter, Richard," she added.
Lewis, who revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2023, died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham. He was 76.
