Richard Lewis was as grateful for “Curb Your Enthusiasm” to exist as fans are sure to miss it.
The comedy series ended Sunday with a bittersweet finale made all the more poignant with a behind-the-scenes clip posted Monday. The footage showed Lewis thanking his peers after filming wrapped and before his death in February.
“I just want to say something,” said Lewis in the footage from HBO Max.
“Larry David has treated me like a god, and all of you have, and this is the greatest experience of my career, and I love each and every one of you,” he said. “I’m honored to be working with arguably the greatest sitcom writer in the last two centuries.”
He added, “God bless all of you, and thanks for being so sweet to me.”
Lewis, a lifelong friend of David’s, announced in 2023 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease but recommitted himself at the time to continue acting on “Curb” as an exaggerated version of himself. He died from a heart attack earlier this year at 76.
David, the show’s creator, honored Lewis with a statement at the time.
“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital, and for most of my life, he’s been like a brother to me,” David told multiple outlets. “He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.”
The behind-the-scenes footage shared Monday spawned renewed mourning from fans on social media, with one user on Instagram noting that to “capture that moment with Richard is extra special,” and another adding: “Tears. Greatest show ever. Period.”
The clip captured a historic moment for the cast and crew, as it was the final “Curb” scene filmed and included the show’s core group of actors: Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, J.B Smoove, Cheryl Hines, Lewis and David.
While Hines chimed in with a short speech of her own in the clip, fans were mostly left thinking of Lewis and paid tribute to him on social media.