‘Saved By The Bell’ Star Dennis Haskins Dies At 75

Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for playing Principal Richard Belding in Saved by the Bell, has died at 75.

His death was confirmed by his longtime agent, Jay Schachter, who described the actor as a beloved friend who had maintained a close relationship with his fans throughout his career.

“It’s a tragic loss,” Schachter said, adding that Haskins was someone who “absolutely LOVED his fans” and always made time for them.

Haskins first played Principal Belding in the Disney Channel series Good Morning, Miss Bliss in 1988. The programme was subsequently reworked as Saved by the Bell, which premiered in 1989 and ran through 1993.

Haskins Continued As Mr Belding

Haskins remained closely associated with the character after the original series ended. He reprised the role in Saved by the Bell: The College Years, the television film Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which ran from 1993 to 2000.

His final appearance as Mr Belding came in 2015, when he joined Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen for a Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon reunion sketch.

Away from the franchise, Haskins appeared in numerous television and film productions, including Mad Men, Hot in Cleveland, New Girl and A Million Ways to Die in the West.

Tributes have since been shared by fans and people who knew him, including Dimples Karaoke Bar in Burbank, California, where Haskins was a longtime regular.

Haskins reportedly died on Sunday, September 27. His official cause of death has not been released. Although a tribute from Dimples revealed that he had privately lived with Parkinson’s disease for several years, the condition has not been identified as his cause of death.