Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for playing lovable Principal Belding on the beloved NBC teen sitcom“Saved by the Bell,” has died. He was 75.
Haskins’ agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed the actor’s death to TMZ and The Hollywood Reporter late Monday, Sept. 28. A cause of death was not immediately announced
“It’s a tragic loss. Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who got to know Dennis, loved him even more," Schachter said in his statement. "He was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely loved his fans.”
USA TODAY has reached out to for comment.
Haskins became an instantly recognizable TV presence as Bayside High’s well-meaning principal who was frequently comically exasperated by the schemes ofZack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar)and
his friends. Haskins was known for Belding’s signature response when walking into hallway trouble: “Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?”
The Chattanooga, Tennessee, native first played Belding on the series “Good Morning, Miss Bliss” in 1988. When the "Disney Channel" show was reworked into “Saved by the Bell” for NBC the following year, Haskins continued as Belding alongside Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, Lark Voorhies and Dustin Diamond.
Haskins starred on "Saved By The Bell" through the show's four-season run, from 1989 to 1993 and later reprised the role for "Saved by the Bell: The New Class," which ran for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000.
Along with "Saved by the Bell," Haskins amassed a long list of television credits, including appearances on “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “The West Wing,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “7th Heaven” and “Hot in Cleveland.”
In 2015, at the age of 65, Haskins graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Arts in theater.
"So long for now, Chattanooga!" Haskins wrote on Xafter the ceremony. "I can't thank you enough for this past weekend! It was a blessing!"
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dennis Haskins, Principal Belding on 'Saved by the Bell,' dies at 75
