Actor, comedian and author Richard Belzer , who was known for portraying a cynical detective on the long-running Law & Order: Special Victims Unit TV series, has died, his friends and former publisher said Sunday.

Belzer, 78, died early Sunday peacefully with family at his side at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, southeast France, his longtime friend Bill Scheft told HuffPost.

His last words were Fuck you, motherfucker! said Scheft, a comedy writer who told The Hollywood Reporter that Belzer had lots of health issues.