Richard Belzer American comedian, passes away at 78.

Richard Belzer, an American comedian and actor, died at the age of 78.

Bill Scheft, a friend and associate, confirmed his passing to PEOPLE. He said the comedian passed away on Sunday in his Bozouls, France, home, surrounded by his family.

From 1993 through 1999, Belzer played Detective John Munch on the hit NBC series “Homicide: Life on the Street.” Later, from 1999 through 2013, he returned to the role on “Law & Order: Special Victim Unit.”

In the early seasons of the Saturday Night Life show, Belzer served as the opening act for the audience.

Belzer is referred to in a statement by Dick Wolf, the show’s creator and Executive Producer, as the “consummate professional” who “brought humor and joy” into his audience’s life.

Wolf’s statement in part, “Richard Belzer’s detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters. I first worked with Richard on the Law & Order/Homicide crossover and loved the character so much, I told Tom (Fontana) that I wanted to make him one of the original characters on SVU. The rest is history

“Richard brought humor and joy into all our lives, was the consummate professional, and we will all miss him very much.”