Mariska Hargitay leads tributes to Law & Order SVU co-star Richard Belzer after his death at 78

The comedy world has paid tribute to actor and stand-up comedian Richard Belzer after his death at the age of 78.

Belzer died at his home in Bozouls in southwest France on Sunday, writer Bill Scheft, a friend of the actor and veteran comedian told The Hollywood Reporter.

“He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘F**k you, motherf***er,’” he told the Hollywood news outlet.

Belzer played the role of John Munch for 23 years on Homicide: Life on the Streets and Law & Order, starting in 1993. The Connecticut-born comedian retired from acting in 2016 and the age of 71.

Belzer’s SVU co-star Mariska Hargitay, said on Instagram, “Goodbye my dear, dear friend. I feel blessed to have known you and adored you and worked with you, side by side, for so many years.”

And she added: “How lucky the angels are to have you. I can hear them laughing already.”

Comedian Billy Crystal took to Twitter and wrote, “Richard Belzer was simply hilarious. A genius at handling a crowd. So sad he’s passed away.”

Marc Maron also tweeted, ‘Richard Belzer died. He was an original. One of the greats, babe. I loved the guy. RIP.’

Henry Winkler, who was a cousin of Belzer, also confirmed the death on Twitter, writing, “Rest in peace Richard.”

Dick Wolf, the creator of SVU paid tribute to Belzer in a statement to Variety.

“Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters,” said Mr Wolf.

“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.”

Belzer’s longtime friend, Laraine Newman, who worked with him on Saturday Night Live, took to Twitter to remember him.

“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,” she tweeted.

“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.”

Warren Leight, the SVU showrunner, also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Belzer and post video of his final scene on the show.

“Richard Belzer was the first actor to welcome me when I started at SVU. Open, warm, acerbic, whip smart, surprisingly kind. I loved writing for Munch, and I loved being with Belz. We sensed this would be his parting scene. Godspeed Belz…” he tweeted.

Julie Martin, an executive producer and writer for SVU, also paid tribute to the actor, tweeting broken heart emojis.

“Missing Richard Belzer today. Working with him on Homicide to SVU has been a hilarious, surprising and always joyful experience. I’m sure he’s giving ‘em all a lot of laughs upstairs,” she tweeted.