‘Law & Order: SVU’ star Richard Belzer dead at 78

Richard Belzer, the Connecticut-born comedian who starred as Det. John Munch on the police-drama series “Homicide” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for more than two decades, died Sunday at age 78, a friend announced.

The actor died at his France home, writer Bill Scheft told The Hollywood Reporter.

“He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘F–k you, motherf—er,’” Scheft said.

Born in Bridgeport, Belzer broke into the entertainment industry as a stand-up comedian in New York. He debuted as the cynical Munch on NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” in 1993 and played the fictional character, then a detective for the Baltimore Police Department, for all seven of the show’s seasons.

He brought the character to “Law & Order: SVU” in 1999 and starred on the first 15 seasons, depicting Munch in multiple roles with the NYPD.

“When “Homicide” was canceled, I was in France with my wife and she said, ‘Let’s open a bottle of champagne and toast: You did this character for seven years,’” Belzer shared for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion,” a 2009 book authored by Susan Green and Randee Dawn.

“And then I remembered that Benjamin Bratt was leaving L&O, and so I called my manager and said, ‘Call [show creator] Dick Wolf — maybe Munch can become [Det. Lennie] Briscoe’s partner’ — because we had teamed for the crossover.”