About her close friend and Curb Your Enthusiasm star Richard Lewis, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76 after a heart attack, Jamie Lee Curtis shared some very heartbreaking remarks.
The comedian and the 65-year-old actress, who portrayed the witch in Halloween, costarred in the sitcom Anything But Love for four seasons between 1989 and 1992.
After learning the tragic news of the actor’s passing on Wednesday, she shared a post on her personal Instagram profile. The first person to break the news was Bette Midler.
Curtis hailed the late singer in a lengthy statement for being “the reason I am sober” after sharing a number of vintage photos of the two of them.
Jamie battled an opiate addiction before celebrating 25 years sober this month.
“I recently found out about the passing of my friend Richard Lewis.” I can still clearly picture myself standing on Sunset Boulevard, staring at a poster advertising a stand-up special featuring him. I urged the casting staff to bring him in to try out for the role of Marty Gold, my best friend and potential boyfriend, during the ABC pilot Anything But Love casting process.
“I felt he had a good look.” It isn’t something a strong woman can really accomplish for herself, but someone made me giggle. He mispronounced the word “bundt cake,” but he still played the part, which made me laugh aloud.
Jamie remarked, “He blew everyone else away.” They added in their response that “the chemistry with Richard was so great,” even if they decided not to pick up the pilot for the love triangle show. Might we rework the initial pilot? We ultimately produced the show for two years in this manner.
He performed stand-up comedy as well, but he detested doing stand-up in front of actual audiences. I, however, thought it was fantastic.
In close-up, he would conceal his markings on door frames, objects, and even my face. He also carried a clipboard with his lines scribbled on it at all times. It turns out that he was a really good part actor. It’s hilarious and profound.
“We grieved together over the deaths of our friend and producer John Ritter as well as our friend and co-star Richard Frank,” she remarked.
“Richard expressed his desire for me to obtain another boxed set of show episodes from ABC/Disney in his most recent text message to me,” the actress said to her followers.
“He is also the reason I am sober,” Jamie continued. He was helpful to me. I shall always be appreciative of his kindness.
“He found love with Joyce, and that, of course, along with being sober, was what mattered most to him,” she stated when they discussed his wife Joyce Lapinsky. Writing this brings tears to my eyes.
It’s an odd way to express gratitude to a kind and humorous man. Richard, I hope you laugh till you die. Hannah exclaimed, “My Marty, I love you!” at the conclusion.
Jamie expressed her sadness over the passing of her longtime friend and former co-star in a second post.
She also included a line or two from the Anything But Love theme tune and another old photo of herself with Lewis.
“The great singer-songwriter JD Souther wrote this beautiful theme song for the third and final season of the TV show ANYTHING BUT LOVE, which aired on ABC for a few years,” Curtis said.
Look it up on YouTube and give it a listen. If not, I’ve recorded it for you right here. I’m presenting these to my buddy Richard Lewis today.
She revealed lyrics that read, “We would still be searching for the next big thing and trying not to fall… If we had never met/And the world got on without us/Just as if we were never that at all.”
“Hearts that beat like thunder and anything but love will do”Everything but love would be sufficient for everyone but you.
Celebrities and users of social media, including Larry David, who co-stars on Curb Your Enthusiasm, paid respect to the late Richard Lewis.
He told HBO, “He’s been like a brother to me for most of my life.” “In the same hospital, Richard and I were born three days apart.”
It doesn’t happen very frequently, but he was the sweetest and funniest guy at the same time. “But today he made me cry, and I’ll never forgive him for that,” the comic said in an interview with Variety.
Working alongside Lewis on the popular show, Cheryl Hines stated, “I had the biggest crush on Richard Lewis when I was young.”
“No one was cuter or more attractive on stage than him.” Then, a dream come true, I got to work with him on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
“I became more knowledgeable about Richard and his gifts as time went on.” He was humorous, which is why I fell in love with him, but he was also one of the kindest individuals I’ve ever met.
Cheryl stated, “He would take the time to tell the people he loved how much they meant to him, especially in the last few years.” In between takes on Curb, he told me how much he loved me and how essential I was to him.
“To have Richard Lewis love you.” An actual present. I adore you, Richard. You will be missed. I adore you, Joyce, and Richard’s entire family. Richard, Lawrence, cherished you.But you already know that.
I Told My Fiancé About My ‘Marriage 8 p.m. Rule’ and He Canceled the Wedding — Is It Really That Weird?
When Emma proposes a daily “8 p.m. rule” to her fiancé, Matt, she expects it to bring them closer. But Matt’s reaction is far from what she’s imagined. Shocked by the idea, he abruptly calls off the wedding, leaving Emma questioning everything she thought she knew about love and commitment.
Winter felt like the perfect time to get married, and Matt had agreed. We had set the date for February, just after Valentine’s Day. How poetic, right?
I had every detail of the wedding figured out, and could almost see our future laid out like the itinerary for an amazing life.
A happy woman | Source: Midjourney
Matt and I had always been in sync, and our relationship was like a well-oiled machine. We’d never had any big fights or major drama. It was just… easy. At least, that’s what I thought.
But I had this nagging feeling lately. With the wedding fast approaching, I wanted to ensure we were as strong as we thought we were. I guess that’s where the 8 p.m. rule came in.
In my mind, it was the perfect way to keep us on track. I didn’t realize then how wrong I was.
A woman smiling faintly | Source: Midjourney
I decided to bring it up at dinner. I made a reservation at our favorite Italian spot, the one with the twinkling lights outside that made everything feel just a little bit magical.
We had so many wonderful memories there. I thought it was the perfect place for what I assumed would be a bonding moment.
I remember looking at him across the table. He was laughing, and I smiled back, my heart racing just a little.
“Hey,” I started, a little too casual. “I’ve been thinking about something for us.”
A couple having dinner at a restaurant | Source: Midjourney
His fork paused mid-air. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Yeah? What’s that?”
And that was it. That was my opening.
“So, once we’re married, I want us to have this daily check-in. I was thinking we could sit down at 8 p.m. every night, go through a checklist, and talk about how we’re doing as a couple. You know, rate each other on communication, support, little habits… that sort of thing.”
A confident and happy woman | Source: Midjourney
I pulled out the table I had printed — because, of course, I had made a sample — and slid it across the table to him.
Matt stared at it, blinking. “You want us to… rate each other? Like a performance review?”
“Not exactly,” I said quickly, feeling my cheeks flush. “It’s more like making sure we’re always improving. Like, if one of us feels off about something, we’d talk about it before it festers. It’s proactive. Don’t you think that’s a good idea?”
A couple having dinner together | Source: Midjourney
He didn’t answer right away and his face remained neutral, unreadable. The silence stretched out, and suddenly the cozy atmosphere felt too warm and close.
“Emma…” His voice trailed off, and he pushed the paper aside, focusing on me. “That sounds like a lot. I mean… a daily check-in? With a rating system?”
I blinked. “Well, yeah. I thought it would be healthy, you know? Like, keeping the lines of communication open.”
A woman in a restaurant | Source: Midjourney
Matt leaned back in his chair, his expression turning serious in a way I hadn’t seen before. “It feels like… I don’t know. Like I’d be under a microscope. You want to do this every day? It’s too much.”
I felt my stomach drop. “But it’s only 15 minutes. It’s just a way to stay connected and make sure we don’t drift apart.”
“Drift apart?” He sounded incredulous. “We’ve been fine for four years. Why would we need this now?”
A stunned man | Source: Midjourney
That’s when I realized I had been holding my breath waiting for his approval, thinking he’d get it. But he wasn’t getting it at all.
The rest of the dinner blurred together. He didn’t just have ‘reservations’ about the 8 p.m. rule, he felt like it was the tip of an iceberg. He thought I was too controlling and too focused on perfection.
And then, out of nowhere, Matt said something that knocked the wind out of me.
A serious man | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t think I can do this anymore.”
I thought he meant the 8 p.m. rule. That was bad enough, but then he said, “The wedding… I think we need to call it off.”
I stared at him, frozen. His words hurt more than I ever expected.
“Call off the wedding? You can’t be serious.”
An upset couple at a restaurant | Source: Midjourney
But he was.
“I’m sorry, but you caught me off guard with this, and I don’t know what to think anymore. I need some space.”
And just like that, the man I had planned my life with got up from the table, leaving me alone with my half-eaten plate of pasta and a sinking feeling that the life I had planned was crumbling before my eyes.
A plate of pasta | Source: Pexels
For two days after that dinner, I felt like I was living in someone else’s body. My phone stayed silent. I kept glancing at it, half-expecting Matt to change his mind and tell me it was just a huge misunderstanding, that he overreacted.
But he didn’t.
When Matt’s mom finally reached out, her voice cracked as she explained that Matt had called off the wedding for good.
“He’s not himself right now,” she said as if that would make me feel better. “Give him some time.”
A woman staring at her phone in disbelief | Source: Midjourney
Time? I wanted to scream. There wasn’t time. We were supposed to be getting married in a few months. How was I supposed to explain this to everyone?
But that’s exactly what I had to do. The following day, I sat across from my parents at their kitchen table, barely able to get the words out.
My mom looked like she was trying to hold herself together, nodding the way she does when she’s trying not to cry.
A sad woman | Source: Midjourney
Dad was quiet. When he finally spoke, his words devastated me.
“Emma,” he started carefully, “you’ve always been… so particular. Structured, methodical. Maybe this 8 p.m. thing was a little too much, don’t you think?”
Too much? The words stung more than I expected.
Mom jumped in. “Honey, we know you mean well. But relationships aren’t always so… well, planned. Maybe Matt just needs something a little more flexible.”
A mature couple | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t know how to respond. Was it so wrong to want a way to keep things in check? Relationships fall apart when people don’t communicate, right? But there was no use arguing. The silence from Matt had already spoken volumes.
Later, I had the unfortunate task of dealing with Matt’s family. They were just as confused as my parents had been, and there was a shared undercurrent of uncertainty about my rule.
“I’m not saying it was the only reason he called off the wedding,” Matt’s sister told me, “but I think it scared him. Made him feel like he was being graded.”
A young woman speaking | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t defend myself. What was the point?
In the weeks that followed, my life moved in a blur. I kept my head down at work, avoided most social gatherings, and tried to figure out how everything had gone so wrong.
Then a new face showed up at work.
Greg was the new project manager, and I knew he was different from the moment we shook hands. Over the next few weeks, we started working on a couple of projects, and I found myself opening up to him in ways I hadn’t expected.
A thoughtful woman | Source: Midjourney
It all came to a head during one of our lunch breaks.
Greg and I had been talking about work-life balance. He was meticulous about his time management, just like me. Before I knew it, I was telling him about the breakup and the 8 p.m. rule.
Greg leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowing in thought. “You know, I think that’s a brilliant idea,” he said, catching me completely off guard.
A man in a restaurant holding the menu | Source: Midjourney
I almost laughed. “Really? Because Matt didn’t think so. He thought it was too controlling.”
“Well, Matt sounds like an idiot,” Greg said with a smirk. “I have something similar. I keep a system for tracking personal growth. It has color-coded charts, weekly self-assessments, the whole nine yards.”
I stared at him, waiting for the punchline. “You’re kidding, right?”
An astonished woman | Source: Midjourney
He shook his head. “Nope. How else are you supposed to know if you’re improving? Self-awareness is key to everything. Why should a relationship be any different?”
I felt validated. Finally, somebody saw the genius of my 8 p.m. rule!
Greg leaned forward, his voice lowering slightly. “Look, I don’t know Matt, but relationships take work. If someone isn’t willing to put in that effort, well… maybe it’s not about the rule. Maybe it’s about the person.”
His words hit me harder than I expected.
A woman staring in surprise | Source: Midjourney
He was right. Matt wasn’t the right person for me. It wasn’t about the checklist. It was about the fact that I wanted to grow, and he didn’t. I wanted to work on things, and he wanted to flop through life without a plan.
For the first time since the breakup, I didn’t feel devastated. I felt… relieved.
Greg smiled. “So, what do you say?” he asked. “How about we check in on that project we’re working on? I bet you and I can put together a killer workflow for it.”
A friendly man in a restaurant | Source: Midjourney
For the first time, I realized that maybe things had turned out exactly as they were meant to.
Here’s another story: Mindy is caught off guard when her ex-husband’s friend, Tom, confronts her about keeping Greg’s last name after their divorce. What starts as a casual conversation quickly escalates when Tom’s unsettling reason for talking to her finally surfaces, leaving Mindy reeling — and unaware of the deeper betrayal yet to be uncovered.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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