Cast Mourns Dennis Haskins, Bayside's Mr. Belding, Dead at 75

The 'Saved by the Bell' cast is mourning Dennis Haskins, whose Mr. Belding defined the sitcom across three series from 1988 to 2000, outlets report.

Dennis Haskins, the actor best known as Principal Richard Belding on NBC's teen sitcom "Saved by the Bell," has died at 75, his agent Jay Schachter confirmed to multiple outlets on Monday, September 29. According to NBC News, the cause and manner of death were unavailable at the time of reporting, and CBS News also noted his cause of death was not released. Page Six reports the death was confirmed by his longtime friend and caretaker, and — per Page Six and Yahoo — Yahoo says the New York Times reported he died Sunday in Burbank, California. Schachter called it "a tragic loss" in statements cited across the coverage.

USA Today notes he was the well-meaning Bayside High principal perpetually exasperated by Zack Morris's schemes, delivering the signature hallway line, "Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?" ABC News says his last turn as Belding came in a 2015 "Tonight Show" reunion sketch with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen.

The reunions came from his castmates, whose statements give the story its emotional core. Tiffani Thiessen told Page Six that Haskins was "a steady presence in my teenage years, the kind of figure who kept us in line while making sure we knew he was in our corner," closing with "RIP Mr. B." Lark Voorhies wrote on Instagram that knowing him for almost 40 years was "one of the truest blessings of my life," per Page Six and USA Today. Mario Lopez, in posts cited by Page Six and USA Today, said Dennis "was the biggest kid on the SBTB set" — and that "if there was karaoke, you knew Dennis was getting on that mic!" — adding, "You'll always be part of our Bayside family."

According to The Guardian, Dimples Karaoke in Burbank — where Haskins was a self-described "staple" though he never owned it — said in an Instagram post that the actor had battled Parkinson's disease for roughly eight years but hid the diagnosis "because he did not want the attention." Yahoo reports his friend and caretaker, Kimberly Snow, confirmed the Parkinson's diagnosis and said he had been living in an assisted living facility. The Guardian also notes Dimples closed about 11 years ago, yet fans still associate Haskins with what the bar called his beloved "second home."

NBC News reports the Chattanooga, Tennessee native worked as a music manager and concert promoter whose clients reportedly included Tom Jones and Gregg Allman, with early TV appearances on "Magnum, P.I." and "The Twilight Zone." USA Today lists later credits from "The West Wing" and "Mad Men" to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "A Million Ways to Die in the West." One detail readers love: per NBC News and USA Today, Haskins fulfilled a lifelong goal by earning his Bachelor of Arts in theater from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2015, at age 65, telling the university he was proud to finally hold his degree.

No official plans for memorials or public tributes have been announced in the coverage, and outlets including CBS News and Scripps News note his cause of death remains undisclosed, so further details may still emerge. What is already clear from the reporting is the shape of his legacy: as Schachter put it in statements cited by NBC News and ABC News, "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." Scripps News adds that Haskins remained a beloved fixture on the fan convention circuit for years after the show ended.