Photo: Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic
Comedian and actor Richard Lewis has announced his retirement from stand-up, following years of surgery and a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. He announced in a video on social media that he would be focusing on writing and acting from now on, and in fact had just wrapped on the latest season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Lewis said that halfway through a stand-up tour three years ago, he realized he was done with the tour life. He then underwent back surgery, shoulder surgery, shoulder replacement surgery, and hip replacement surgery in rapid succession. “Bad luck, but that’s life,” he said. Furthering this spell of bad luck, Lewis also was diagnosed with Parkinson’s around the same time. “I got it late in life, and they say you progress very slowly if at all,” Lewis said. “I just wanted you to know that that’s where it’s been at. I’m finished with standup, I’m just focusing on writing and acting. I have Parkinson’s disease but I’m under a doctor’s care and everything is cool.”
