Law and Order: SVU fans ‘crying’ as characters pay emotional tribute to Richard Belzer’s Munch after actor’s death

The actor, who portrayed Det. John Munch in the long-running crime drama, was 78 years old when he passed away.

The first episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Season 25, titled Tunnel Blind, debuted on Thursday, January 18.

Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) reunited with friend Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) during the episode, who returned to the series to introduce her newborn son.

The child, who Amanda shares with husband Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino), made his first appearance during the Season 25 premiere.

But that wasn’t the highlight of the episode for most.

The Law and Order cast also gave a toast to Richard in a sweet moment during the episode.

In the scene, Ice T’s character, Odafin Tutuola, tells Olivia and Peter Scanavino’s Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr’s character that “Munch would have ran him off just telling him his theory about the Kennedy assassination.”

The trio were discussing a new figure in the department at a bar, as Dominick said: “To Munch. The man, the legend…”

“To Detective Munch!” Olivia added as the trip clinked their glasses.

It was a moment that both surprised and touched fans who had still been mourning the actor’s passing.

Many shared their reactions to the emotional tribute on social media as they were reminded of the beloved character and the actor who portrayed him.

“Liv, Fin, and Sonny are now mentioning Munch, god rest his soul, while over at the bar!” one fan shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Others chimed in with their reactions to the unexpected tribute.

“The Munch mention,” another added with a crying face emoji.

“Here’s to detective Munch,” a third wrote, adding a crying face emoji with a blue heart and another emoji wearing a halo.

“That toast to Munch though. Both he and Richard Belzer are sorely missed,” a fourth shared.

The majority of users responding on social media admitted they were emotional over the mention.

Some admitted they were going to cry, and others were touched deeply by the cast’s acknowledgment of their fallen coworker.

REST IN PEACE

Bill Scheft, writer and longtime friend of Belzer, confirmed Richard’s death when he passed away.

“He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘F**k you, motherf**ker,’” Scheft explained at the time.

Laraine Newman, an original Saturday Night Live cast member, also confirmed on X.

“I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing. I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL.

“One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest.”

Laraine worked alongside Richard from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, per TMZ.

Richard starred in Law & Order: SVU for 15 seasons.

He first appeared as the character of John Munch in 1993 on the television series, Homicide: Life on the Street.

When the show was canceled in 1996, Richard felt his time as Munch was unfinished and proceeded to guest star in Law & Order episodes as the character for a few years.

According to the 2009 book Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion, Richard called creator Dick Wolf to try and become Detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach)’s partner on the original series.

However, Dick said he had already cast actor Jessie Martin at the time to play the character of Ed Green.

Fortunately for Richard, Dick was in the process of developing Law & Order: SVU and made sure Detective John Munch transferred over from Baltimore to New York City to join Detective Benson and Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni).

Meloni went to X, formerly known as Twitter, to pay two tributes to his co-star.

“Good bye mon ami. I love you. The Belz,” 61-year-old Christopher wrote above a picture of him kissing Richard on the cheek.

The second post was a heartwarming old photo of Hargitay feeding Belzer on the Law & Order: SVU set.

BECOMING MUNCH

The actor continued to play Munch from 1999 until 2016 on Law & Order: SVU, the first spin-off from the famed original series and the longest-running crime drama in history, per NBC.

Richard’s character of Detective Munch became recognized by several other television series, including The Beat, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, and The Wire, where he would appear in episodes.

Munch also appeared as a joke in comedic series like Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Richard got his start in the entertainment industry through his multiple parts in 1974’s The Groove Tube, per IMDb.

After, he quickly rose to comedic stardom by being part of SNL’s initial seasons.

Some may have seen Richard’s brief role in Scarface in 1983, while others might remember his appearance during 1999’s Man on the Moon, starring Jim Carrey as comedian Andy Kaufman.

Fans shared their reactions on social media when they saw characters making a toast to Munch during the episodeCredit: NBC

The majority of viewers were touched by the emotional tribute and it prompted them to cryCredit: NBC