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Dennis Haskins, best known for playing principal Richard Belding on the hit sitcom Saved by the Bell, has died.
His agent Jay Schachter confirmed the news to CBC News in a statement. He was 75.
“It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding, and those of us who got to know Dennis loved him even more,” Schachter told CBC News in an email.
“He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely loved his fans. He always had time for them, no matter what. He was my client and dear friend for over 20 years, and I will miss him terribly.”
Bayside’s principal, Mr. Belding
Haskins became a recognizable face on screen playing Bayside High’s loveable, fair, father-figure of a principal, known for his signature trouble catching hallway phrase: “Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?”
The Chattanooga, Tenn.-born actor first played Mr. Belding on Disney Channel’s Good Morning, Miss Bliss — a show that would go on to be picked up and revamped by NBC as Saved by the Bell, running from 1989 to 1993.
WATCH | Mr. Belding catchphrase supercut:
He’d go on to reprise his role on Saved by the Bell: The New Class and eventually in a sketch alongside former co-stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2015.
His fellow co-stars are sharing their love on social media.
“Dennis Haskins was a steady presence in my teenage years, the kind of figure who kept us in line while making sure we knew he was in our corner,” Thiessen, who played cheerleader Kelly Kapowski on the show, wrote on Instagram.
“I will always remember his kindness and be grateful for the memories we as a cast got to share with him,” she added.
Lopez, who played wrestling team captain A.C. Slater on the show, also shared a tribute on Instagram.
“Heartbroken to hear about my old friend,” he wrote.
“If you knew him, you loved him—and if there was karaoke, you knew Dennis was getting on that mic! I’m grateful for the laughs, the memories, and the friendship we shared all these years. Rest easy, my friend. You’ll always be part of our Bayside family,” he continued.
Lark Voorhies, who starred alongside Haskins as Lisa Turtle, described knowing him for nearly 40 years as “one of the truest blessings” of her life.
“We shared so much history together from our earliest days, and through it all, he remained a fabulous person, a loyal friend, and someone with such a kind, gentle heart,” she wrote on Instagram, adding that she is heartbroken.
Haskins made his onscreen debut in a 1979 episode of The Dukes of Hazzard, kicking off a decades-long television and film career.
Over the years, he appeared in hit shows like Mad Men, Hot in Cleveland, New Girl and in Seth MacFarlane’s film A Million Ways to Die in the West.
