Saved by the Bell actor Dennis Haskins dies aged 75

Saved by the Bell star Dennis Haskins who played Principal Belding has died.

Haskins became a familiar face on the American sitcom and portraying Principal Richard Belding for more than a decade.

The Tennessee-born actor died on Sunday at the age of 75 at his home in Burbank, California.

The actor’s cause of death has not been confirmed, but he had Parkinson’s, according to ABC News4.

His agent revealed the ‘great’ actor’s death in a statement today as he paid tribute to a ‘dear friend.’

Agent Jay Schachter: ‘It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding, and those of us who got to know Dennis loved him even more,’ Schachter said.

‘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.’

Actor Luke Barnett paid tribute to Haskins on X as he remembered their first encounter: ’15 years ago I did ‘Saved by the Bell: The Musical’ at a tiny theatre in Burbank.

‘I played ‘Everybody Else’. Which was essentially 12 different supporting characters. You can imagine the excitement backstage when 5 minutes before the show someone told us “Mr Belding is in the audience”.

‘Nicest guy in the world. Was a longtime regular at Dimples where he’d do karaoke or sip a whiskey ginger at the bar. Was one of my first “oh wow, a guy I watched on TV is hanging out like a normal dude” moments after moving to LA. RIP to the legend Dennis Haskins.’

Haskins starred as Principal Belding in the original Saved by the Bell series from 1989 to 1993 on NBC, and then in the sequel Saved by the Bell: The New Class from 1993 until 2000.

The veteran actor also appeared in dozens of other TV series throughout the 2000s, including How I Met Your Mother and New Girl.

Haskins went on to release a music album inspired by his recognisable role as the teen sitcom principal called Karaoke with Your favourite Principal Dennis.

As a fan of elite wrestling and WWE, Haskins appeared on episodes of a YouTube series hosted by wrestler Zack Ryder.

The actor is survived by his son, Dustin Haskins.

His death comes five years after another Saved by the Bell actor, Dustin Diamond, passed away suddenly.

Diamond, who starred as nerdy student Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers, was 44 years old when he died of lung cancer in 2021.