We now have an official cause of death for Dennis Haskins. The actor, best known for playing Mr. Belding in Saved by the Belldied of Parkinson’s disease, according to his death certificate obtained by TMZ.
Haskins died September 27 in Burbank. It had been reported that Haskins was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, but kept the diagnosis largely private.
Haskins originally played Principal Richard Belding in the Disney Channel series Hello, Miss Bliss, opposite Hayley Mills in 1989. After one season, the series was revamped as Saved by the Bell on NBC, where he reprized his role throughout its four seasons. Haskins returned as Mr. Belding to Saved by the Bell: The New Class in 1993 and played the role for seven more seasons, until the series finale in 2000.
Haskins had dozens of additional acting credits, including I hang out with Mr. Cooper, Malibu, California, The practice, The west wing, The replay, The stone man, 7th heaven, Descent, Red water, Spicy Guacamole, An ordinary killer, TIP, Dead end road, It’s always sunny in Philadelphia, Men of a certain age, The Bold and the Beautiful, Victorious, Mad Men, Emerald Acres, how I Met Your Mother, Destroy the Alpha Gammas, New girl, Hot in Cleveland, This doesn’t work, Bill Nye saves the world, Abstruse, EnigmaAnd A vacation with the song Bennettamong others.
Haskins’ agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed the actor’s death to Deadline, saying in a statement: “This is a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who knew Dennis loved him even more. He was a great person and he loved, I mean, absolutely adored his fans.
“He always had time for them, no matter what,” he continued. He was my client and dear friend for over 20 years, and I will miss him terribly. I’m heartbroken.
Haskins was 75 years old.
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