Inside Curb Your Enthusiasm Stars Richard Lewis and Larry David's Decades-Long Friendship

Richard Lewis and Larry David's friendship spanned decades, both onscreen and off.

Born just three days apart in the same hospital in 1947, they were fated to become the best of friends. At 12-years-old, they met for the first time at summer camp, though they instantly came to odds upon introduction.

In a 2023 interview with The Spectator, Lewis recalled how he "disliked him intensely."

“When we played baseball, I tried to hit him with the ball," he shared. "We were arch rivals. I couldn’t wait for the camp to be over just to get away from Larry. I’m sure he felt the same way.”

However, the stars aligned and Lewis and David met again 11 years later while working the New York comedy scene. The late actor confessed he didn't recognize him until they shared a few drinks one night and he was finally able to put a face to a name.

"I looked at his face and I said, 'There’s something about you, man, that spooks me.' Just saying that spooks everyone! It clicked. ‘You’re Richard Lewis!' 'You’re Larry David!' … I was yelling at him, he was yelling at me," he recalled to The Spectator with a laugh.

In a 2002 conversation at the Paley Center for Media, David recalled their early memories fondly and shared how they became "instant best friends."

The pair both went on to dominate comedy in Hollywood, and Lewis eventually joined David's Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2000. On the HBO series, Lewis and David played fictionalized versions of themselves with Lewis appearing in more than 40 episodes.

“Our relationship in life is very much, I would say almost exactly what it is in life as what it is on the show,” David said at the Paley Center. “We scream at each other. We fight all the time, but we have a lot of fun. We have a great time. It’s a great friendship. I love him.”

In 2021, Lewis announced he would be stepping back from the series and retiring from comedy in order to focus on his health. Two years later, in April 2023, he announced he had been privately dealing with Parkinson's disease.

He eventually returned for the 12th and final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is currently airing on HBO.

On Tuesday, PEOPLE confirmed that Lewis had died peacefully in his home after suffering a heart attack. He was 76.

Shortly after, David shared his own reaction to the sad news and reflected on their lifelong friendship. “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," he said in a statement. "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.”

In an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that aired earlier this month, Lewis joked about writing the Seinfeld co-creator into his will while playing a round of golf.

"I have better news for you. I'm leaving you in my will. I'm tweaking it, and you're in it," Lewis told David while discussing the good fortune they had been experiencing in their lives.

"When I die, I want you to know how much I cared about you," he explained after David's protests, adding, "You're my best friend. You're getting it."

David kept repeating that he didn't want the money, to which Lewis said he would be giving it to him anyway, causing David to say, "Oh my god. F--- you."

Lewis' will was brought up again later in the episode when the two went golfing once more, and he said he would be seeing an estate attorney later that week.

"You know, it's kind of starting to dawn on me what's going on. You're putting me in your will because you want me to put you in my will," said David, to which Lewis asked him, "Are you out of your f---ing mind?" He noted how that move would be "shallow" and "manipulative."

After Lewis called it a "low point in their friendship," David said he would put Lewis on his will, and the two discussed how they would work out what each other gets.

"By the way, what makes you think I'm going to die before you?" David later asked Lewis, who responded, "You're a little ragged right now. I'm in a little better shape than you."

"You think that? Oh really. I'm going to outlive you by 20 years," said Lewis.

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New episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm are available to stream Sundays on Max.