Richard Lewis' wife is "beyond thrilled and so touched" by the messages she's received since his death.
The 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' star passed away at the age of 76 on Tuesday (27.02.24) and Joyce Lapinsky has spoken out for the first time since losing her husband to ask fans to honour the comedian's memory by donating to Comedy Gives Back, a charity which acts as "a safety net for the comedy community by providing financial crisis relief, mental health and chemical dependency treatment sponsorship and continued community support."
She used the late comic's account on X to write: "This is Joyce, Richard's wife. Thank you for your loving tributes. He would be beyond thrilled and so touched, as am I. In response to the many queries, I know Richard would appreciate donations in his memory to the Los Angeles-based charity comedygivesback.com or the charity of your choice."
Her post came shortly after it was revealed Richard died from "cardiopulmonary arrest", with Parkinson’s disease listed as the secondary cause, according to his death certificate, which was obtained by The Blast.
The website also reported the star will be laid to rest at the Temple of Aaron Cemetery in Roseville, Minnesota.
Cardiopulmonary arrest, also known as cardiac arrest, "is the sudden loss of all heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm", according to the Mayo Clinic.
Richard revealed his diagnosis with Parkinson's - a "progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves" - in April 2023.
He said in a video shared to X: "After 50 years almost, I’m just gonna call it quits. And I felt great about that. And then out of the blue..."
He explained that he underwent several medical procedures for his back, shoulder and hip and showed symptoms of the disease afterwards.
He said: "I started walking a little stiffly, I was shuffling my feet and I went to a neurologist and they gave me a brain scan and I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and that was about two years ago. But luckily I got it late in life and they say you progress very slowly if at all and I'm on the right meds so I'm cool.
"I have Parkinson’s disease, but I’m under a doctor’s care and everything is cool."
