{"id":631738,"date":"2026-09-30T04:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T04:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/631738\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T04:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T04:00:11","slug":"saved-by-the-bell-cast-pays-tribute-to-dennis-haskins-mr-belding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/631738\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Saved by the Bell’ Cast Pays Tribute to Dennis Haskins, Mr. Belding"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe surviving cast members of Saved by the Bell<\/a> are paying tribute to actor Dennis Haskins, who played the high school sitcom\u2019s beleaguered principal, Mr. Belding. News of Haskins\u2019 death<\/a> at age 75 broke Tuesday, though a cause of death is not yet public.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c[I\u2019m] heartbroken to hear about my old friend Dennis Haskins,\u201d actor Mario Lopez, who played the jock, A.C. Slater, wrote on social media<\/a>. \u201cHe played the principal, but Dennis was the biggest kid on the SBTB set. If you knew him, you loved him \u2014 and if there was karaoke, you knew Dennis was getting on that mic! I\u2019m grateful for the laughs, the memories, and the friendship we shared all these years. Rest easy, my friend. You\u2019ll always be part of our Bayside family. \u2764\ufe0f \u201c<\/p>\n

\n\tTiffani Thiessen, who played cheerleader Kelly Kapowski on the show, remembered him on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cDennis 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,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI will always remember his kindness and be grateful for the memories we as a cast got to share with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tAnd Lark Voorhies, the show\u2019s wealthy Lisa Turtle, similarly praised Haskins\u2019 kindness. \u201cKnowing Dennis Haskins for almost 40 years has been one of the truest blessings of my life, which makes losing him hurt so deeply,\u201d she wrote on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cWe shared so much history together from our earliest days, and through it all, he remained a fabulous person, a loyal friend, and someone with such a kind, gentle heart. I am truly heartbroken by his passing and will miss his warmth and laughter more than words can say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHaskins was a mainstay of the series and its many revivals. He played Richard Belding on Good Morning, Miss Bliss, the show that preceded Saved by the Bell, and resumed the role on Saved by the Bell\u2019s four seasons. He also played Belding in the TV movies Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, the latter of which occurred in the timeline after Saved by the Bell: The College Years (which he guested on). He also reprised the Belding role for Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which ran between 1993 and 2000.<\/p>\n