Richard Belzer, stand-up comic and TV detective, dies at 78

Richard Belzer, who played one of TV’s most indelible detectives as John Munch in “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Law & Order: SVU,” has died. The long-time stand-up comic was 78. Belzer died Sunday at his home in Bozouls in southern France, his longtime friend Bill Scheft told The Hollywood Reporter. Comedian Laraine Newman first announced his death on Twitter. The actor Henry Winkler, Belzer’s cousin, wrote “Rest in peace Richard.” For more than two decades and across 10 series — including appearances on “30 Rock” and “Arrested Development” — Belzer played the wise-cracking homicide detective prone to conspiracy theories.