The surviving actors of Saved by the bell pay homage to actor Dennis Haskins, who played the high school sitcom’s embattled principal, Mr. Belding. News of Haskins’ death at the age of 75 was announced Tuesday, although the cause of death is not yet public.
“(I’m) heartbroken to hear about my old friend Dennis Haskins,” actor Mario Lopez, who played jock AC Slater, wrote on social media. “He played the role of principal, but Dennis was the biggest kid in the group. SBTB together. If you knew him, you loved him – and if there was karaoke, you knew Dennis took that mic! I am grateful for the laughs, memories and friendship we have shared all these years. Rest easy, my friend. You will always be part of our Bayside family. ❤️”
Tiffani Thiessen, who played cheerleader Kelly Kapowski on the show, remembered him on Instagram. “Dennis Haskins was a constant presence in my adolescence, the kind of character who kept us in check while making sure we knew he was on our side,” she wrote. “I will always remember his kindness and be grateful for the memories we, as actors, were able to share with him.”
And Lark Voorhies, the show’s wealthy Lisa Turtle, also praised Haskins’ kindness. “Knowing Dennis Haskins for almost 40 years was one of the true blessings of my life, which makes his loss so painful,” she wrote on Instagram. “We shared so much history together since our beginnings, and through it all he remained a fabulous person, a loyal friend and someone with such a kind and gentle heart. I am truly heartbroken by his passing and will miss his warmth and laughter more than words can say.”
Haskins was a mainstay of the series and its many revivals. He played Richard Belding in Hello, Miss Blissthe show that preceded Saved by the Belland reprized the role on Saved by the bell four seasons. He also played Belding in the TV movies Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style And Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegasthe latter event having occurred in the timeline after Saved by the Bell: The College Years (on which he was invited). He also reprized the role of Belding for Saved by the Bell: The New Classwhich took place between 1993 and 2000.
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