Dennis Haskins, the actor who played Principal Richard Belding on “Saved by the Bell,” has died at 75. His death was confirmed Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. His agent, Jay Schachter, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death has not been made public.
A Burbank bar’s Instagram tribute, quoted Sept. 29, said Haskins had battled Parkinson’s disease for the last eight years and kept it private. “He had been silent about his fight with Parkinson’s, among other health concerns, because he did not want the attention,” the tribute said. Haskins had been living with Parkinson’s disease, WTVC in Chattanooga reported.
After his death was reported, Dimples Karaoke, a now-closed bar in Burbank, Calif., where Haskins had been a regular, paid tribute to him on Instagram.
Agent Calls Death a Tragic Loss
Schachter called the death a tragic loss in his statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Everyone loved Mr. Belding, and those of us who got to know Dennis loved him even more,” he said.
Schachter said: “He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely LOVED his fans.” He said Haskins always made time for fans, no matter the circumstances.
Schachter told People that Haskins had been his client and dear friend for more than 20 years, that he would miss him terribly and that he was heartbroken.
Co-Stars Share Their Tributes
Tiffani Thiessen, who starred on the sitcom, told Page Six in a statement through her rep on Sept. 29: “Dennis 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.”
Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater, shared his “heartbroken” reaction on X the same day. “He played the principal, but Dennis was the biggest kid on the SBTB set,” Lopez wrote.
Lark Voorhies, another cast member, wrote on Instagram on Sept. 29: “Knowing Dennis Haskins for almost 40 years has been one of the truest blessings of my life,” adding that she would miss his “warmth and laughter more than words can say.”
A Decade as Mr. Belding
Haskins was born in Chattanooga, Tenn. He first played Belding on “Good Morning, Miss Bliss,” a series reworked into the teen sitcom “Saved by the Bell” after a single season. The character came with him, and he played the role for more than a decade.
“Saved by the Bell” debuted in 1989 and ran four seasons until 1993. The series followed star athlete Zack Morris — played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar — and his circle of friends through the fictional Bayside High School in California. The cast also included Dustin Diamond, Tiffani Amber Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley and Lark Voorhies.
Belding, the administrator of Bayside High, was flustered but soft-hearted, and he was the constant: the adult forever one step behind Zack’s schemes, and forever unable to stay angry about them.
Haskins reprised the role in “Saved by the Bell: The New Class,” which aired 1993 to 2000. He also reprised Belding in “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” and “Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style,” making him one of the franchise’s longest-serving cast members.
He returned to the part once more in 2015, joining Thiessen, Lopez, Gosselaar and Berkley for a sketch on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” The reunion drew a roar from viewers who had not seen the group together in years.
His other television credits across eras and genres included “Mad Men,” “New Girl” and “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Belding was the most famous role of a decades-long working life.