‘Law And Order: SVU’ and Mariska Hargitay Pay Tribute to the Late Richard Belzer

Last night’s episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit payed tribute to former longtime cast member Richard Belzer, who died on Sunday (Feb. 19) at the age of 78.

Belzer played Detective John Munch in the original Law & Order series from 1996 to 2000, then joined SVU as the same character until he left the show in 2016.

While SVU carried on without him, Belzer was never forgotten by the long-running crime drama. At the end of last night’s episode, which was titled “King of the Moon,” the show featured a simple but poignant commemoration of the actor that read, “In Memory of Richard Belzer.”

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A post shared by Mariska Hargitay (@therealmariskahargitay)

The episode was directed by Belzer’s longtime castmate, Mariska Hargitay, who also took to Instagram yesterday to share the “In Memory” tribute. Earlier that day, Hargitay appeared on Today to talk about Belzer and the legacy he left behind.

“He was family and taught me so much about taking risks, and creativity and trust, and he brought so much joy to the set,” she said. “He was just such a beautiful and complex [person] and it was such a privilege to know him.”

Bezler’s other SVU costars also shared kind words in his memory, including Ice-T, who plays Odafin “Fin” Tutuola — Munch’s former partner. The actor posted a tribute to Twitter Feb. 19, where he wrote, “Highs and Lows… After one of the most amazing weeks of my life. I wake up to the news I lost my friend today. Belz is gone.. Damn it! But remember this..’When you ARE having real fun and are Truly Happy.”

He continued, “ENJOY it to the fullest! Cause Pain is inevitably coming.’ I’ll miss you Homie.”

And Christopher Meloni, SVU‘s Elliot Stabler, shared his own message on Twitter, simply writing, “Good bye mon ami. I love you. #TheBelz” alongside a photo of himself giving Belzer a kiss on the cheek as Hargitay smiled from behind them.

Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.