Saved By The Bell Actor Dennis Haskins Has Died, Aged 75

Saved By The Bell actor Dennis Haskins has died at the age of 75.

The US performer was best known for his portrayal of Bayside High School’s principal Ricard Belding throughout the show’s original run, including several spin-offs and the reboot The New Class.

Dennis’ agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed on Monday that the actor died a day earlier, lamenting: “It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who got to know Dennis, loved him even more.

“He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely LOVED his fans. He always had time for them, no matter what.”

Per the Los Angeles Times, Dennis died on Sunday evening in an assisted living facility. A cause of death was not disclosed, but his friend, Kimberly Snow, claimed he had been living with Parkinson’s disease “among other health concerns”.

Kimberly shared in a social media post: “About eight years ago, he became ill. He had been silent about his fight with Parkinson’s, among other health concerns, because he did not want the attention. He did not want to have to tell people. He would say, ‘What do I even say?’

“So I respected his wishes and stayed quiet, and I helped him through his journey into the next chapter of his life. Late last night, that journey ended for him. He is now at peace and is probably entertaining the people in the sky.”

Dennis got his start on screen playing several characters in the TV series The Dukes Of Hazzard, before being cast as Principal Belding in the teen sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss in the late 1980s, which would eventually become Saved By The Bell.

He played Principal Belding from 1989 to 2000, reprising the character in a 2012 episode of Victorious and as recently as 2015 in a sketch for The Tonight Show.

Outside of Saved By The Bell, he made one-off appearances in shows as varied as The West Wing, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl and Mad men.

Dennis made his final on-screen appearance in 2020, in the festive family comedy A Bennett Song Holiday.