Mariska Hargitay Honored Richard Belzer in Latest SVU

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay paid tribute to her late former co-star Richard Belzer, who passed away on February 19.

At the end of a recent Season 24 episode directed by Hargitay, a slide honoring Belzer’s legacy appeared on screen. The words were simple, “In memory of Richard Belzer.” Hargitay also later took to her Instagram page to post the screen.

Earlier this week, Hargitay went further TODAY to discuss how she feels about Belzer’s death. “What a heart and soul; he was family and taught me so much about risk taking, creativity and trust,” she said. “And he brought so much joy to the set, and boy did this man love kids. He was, you know, that Sorbian, quick-witted, brilliant mind, and yet it would melt away at the sight of a child. He was just so beautiful and complex [person]and it was such a privilege to know him.”

Prior to that performance, Hargitay also made a heartfelt post to celebrate Belzer’s life in the news of his death.

“Goodbye my dear, dear friend. I will miss you, your unique light and perspective on this strange world. I feel blessed to have known and adored you and worked side by side with you for so many years. How lucky the angels are to have you. I can already hear her laughing. I love you so much, now and forever,” the post read.

Richard Belzer played John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from Season 1 from 1999 to 2016. His character was a detective known for being no-nonsense, with a dry demeanor and a penchant for conspiracy theories.

Executive producer Dick Wolf spoke to People about the impact Belzer has made in the United States CSR Universe. “Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic figures. I first worked with Richard on the Law & Order/Murder Crossover and loved the character so much I said [screenwriter] Tom [Fontana] that I wanted to make him one of the original characters CSR. The rest is history. Richard brought humor and joy to all of our lives, was the consummate professional and we will all miss him dearly,” Wolf told the outlet.

Rest in peace Richard.

Watch Law & Order: SVU on NBC Thursdays at 9/8c and the next day on Peacock.

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