Jamie Lee Curtis, overwhelmed with grief, makes a heart-wrenching announcement.

Jamie Lee Curtis shared heartbreaking news about her close friend and Curb Your Enthusiasm star Richard Lewis, who passed away on Tuesday from a heart attack at the age of 76.

The 65-year-old actress, known for her role as Laurie Strode in Halloween, also starred with Lewis in the sitcom Anything But Love, which aired for four seasons from 1989 to 1992.

On Wednesday, Curtis took to Instagram to express her grief, posting a series of old photos with Lewis and writing a heartfelt caption in which she thanked him for being “the reason I am sober.” Curtis celebrated 25 years of sobriety this month, having struggled with opioid addiction.

“I just learned that my friend Richard Lewis has died,” Curtis began. “I remember exactly where I was on Sunset Boulevard when I saw a billboard of him for a stand-up special. It was during the casting process for the ABC pilot Anything But Love, and I asked the casting staff to bring him in to try out for the part of Marty Gold, my best friend and maybe boyfriend.

“He made me laugh out loud when he pronounced the word ‘Bundt cake’ wrong, and he got the part. He blew everyone else away,” Jamie recalled. Although the original pilot for the love triangle show wasn’t picked up, the chemistry between Curtis and Lewis led to the show being reworked and eventually produced for two years.

Curtis praised Lewis’s talent as both a stand-up comedian and an actor, noting his unique ability to perform despite his stage fright. “He would hide his lines on props, door frames, and even my face in a close-up. He always had his lines written on a clipboard. It turned out that he played roles very well. It’s deep and so damn funny.”

Curtis also shared how they grieved together over the deaths of their friend and co-star Richard Frank and their friend and producer John Ritter. She revealed that in his last text message to her, Richard expressed hope that ABC/Disney would release another boxed set of episodes of their show.

“He’s also the reason I’m sober,” Curtis wrote. “He helped me. I will always be grateful to him for that act of kindness.”

Reflecting on his personal life, Curtis mentioned Lewis’s deep love for his wife, Joyce Lapinsky, and how sobriety had been crucial for him. “He found love with Joyce, and that, of course, along with being sober, was what mattered most to him. It makes me cry to write this. This is a strange way to thank a nice and funny man. Richard, may you rest in laughter. ‘My Marty, I love you, Hannah!’”

In a second post, Curtis shared another old photo with Lewis and included lyrics from the theme song of Anything But Love, written by JD Souther. She dedicated the song to Lewis, expressing her sadness and love.

Larry David, another star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and other celebrities and social media users paid tribute to Lewis. David called Lewis “like a brother” and praised his unique combination of humor and kindness. Cheryl Hines, who also worked with Lewis, shared her admiration and love for him, describing him as one of the nicest people she had ever known.

Jamie Lee Curtis’s emotional tributes and the outpouring of love from the entertainment community underscore the significant impact Richard Lewis had on those around him, both professionally and personally.