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Lewis, 75, disclosed his diagnosis in a brief
video posted to Twitter on Sunday, saying he learned he had
Parkinson's, a chronic degenerative disorder of the central
nervous system, two years ago after he began walking stiffly and
shuffling his feet.
Lewis said the Parkinson's came on top of a series of shoulder,
back and hip surgeries for various orthopedic ailments over the
past 3 1/2 years, following an earlier decision to take a break
from live performances.
"I'm finished with standup. I'm just focusing on writing and
acting," he said. As for the Parkinson's diagnosis, "I got it
late in life, and they say you progress very slowly, if at all,
and I'm on the right meds."
Lewis showed no sign of a tremor or other impairment in the
video.
"I'm under a doctor's care and everything is cool," he added. "I
love my wife, I love my little puppy dog and I love all my
friends and fans."
The New York-born entertainer said he recently wrapped filming
on the 12th season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," in which he plays
a semi-fictional version of himself as a friend of the show's
star and creator, Larry David.
Lewis gained fame in the 1980s standup circuit for his
self-deprecating, neurotic persona.
He co-starred with actress Jamie Lee Curtis on the workplace
romantic sitcom "Anything but Love," which aired on ABC from
1989 into 1992. He also played a prominent role in the 1993 Mel
Brooks-directed film parody "Robbin Hood: Men in Tights."
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Bill
Berkrot)
(Photo: Actor Richard Lewis and his wife Joyce Lapinsky attend a
special screening of the feature-length documentary "Method to
the Madness of Jerry Lewis" at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles,
December 7, 2011. REUTERS/Phil McCarten)
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