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Saved by the Bell<\/em><\/a> actor Dennis Haskins<\/strong> has died<\/a>. He was 75.<\/p>\n “It’s a tragic loss,” his spokesperson confirmed to Us<\/em> on Monday, September 28. “Everyone loved Mr. Belding and those of us who got to know Dennis, loved him even more.”<\/p>\n Haskins originated the role of Bayside High School’s Principal Richard Belding on the short-lived teen comedy Good Morning, Miss Bliss<\/em> in 1988 and was one of the few characters carried over when the Saturday morning sitcom was revamped as Saved by the Bell<\/em> the following year. (Saved by the Bell<\/em> aired from 1989 to 1993 on NBC.)<\/p>\n “[Dennis] was a great person, and he loved, I mean absolutely LOVED his fans,” his rep told Us<\/em>. “He always had time for them, no matter what. He was my client and dear friend for over 20 years, and I will miss him terribly. I’m heartbroken.”<\/p>\n What ‘Saved by the Bell’ Cast Said About Their Kids Watching Show<\/a><\/p>\n A cause of death has not yet been determined. (TMZ was first to report the news.)<\/p>\n Haskins’ portrayal of Mr. Belding proved to be such a popular nemesis for smart aleck heartthrob Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar<\/strong><\/a>) that the character took on more prominence on spinoff Saved By the Bell: The New Class<\/em>, which ran from 1993 to 2000.<\/p>\n The actor also reprised the iconic role as Mr. Belding for cameo appearances on the primetime spinoff Saved by the Bell: The College Years<\/em> and the TV movie Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas<\/em>.<\/p>\n A Chattanooga, Tennessee, native, Haskins got his start as an actor by making several appearances on the action comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard<\/em>, playing a new character each time. (Haskins appeared in three Dukes of Hazzard<\/em> episodes in total.)<\/p>\n He landed bit roles on Archie Bunker’s Plac<\/em>e and Magnum PI<\/em> before being cast in his signature sitcom part as Mr. Belding after seven auditions in 1988. Haskins fully embraced Saved by the Bell<\/em>, even making cameos as Mr. Belding in Robot Chicken<\/em> and Victorious<\/em> in later years.<\/p>\n “On Good Morning, Miss Bliss<\/em>, I was just glad to have a job. It was a long seven-audition process,” he told Parade<\/em><\/a> in 2013. “I was in. I was out. And then, finally at the last minute, I got it. We were just happy to be working. We weren’t thinking in terms of how long we were going to go.”<\/p>\n Haskins recalled being told during the run of Good Morning, Miss Bliss<\/em> that the show’s original home, the Disney Channel, was not satisfied with the show.<\/p>\n “One day [producer] Peter Engel<\/strong> came on the stage and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Disney has chosen not to go on with the project. There’s a slight chance ABC will do something, but I just wanted to thank everybody.’ And then I started hearing things,” he remembered. “The prop guy came up to me and said, ‘Hey, Dennis. They just told us to save the sets.’ I found out that I was going on to Saved by the Bell<\/em>, because NBC had bought the rights to four characters, by the wardrobe guy telling me, ‘They told me to save your suits,’ and giving me a big thumbs up.”<\/p>\n In that same 2013 interview, Haskins described playing the frequently exasperated Mr. Belding as “the best job of all.”<\/p>\n “The principal stayed while the kids came and went,” he pointed out. “So I had a steady job for eleven years. For me, that’s long-term. But I know that what everybody loves is the original Saved by the Bell<\/em>.”<\/p>\n ‘Saved by the Bell’ Cast: Where Are They Now?<\/a><\/p>\n Haskins was previously married to Sarah Dianne Goins<\/strong> in the 1990s and they shared a son.<\/p>\n Saved by the Bell<\/em> has seen its share of tragedies over the years. Dustin Diamond<\/strong> — who played Screech on both the original Saved by the Bell<\/em> and The New Class<\/em> — died at age 44<\/a> in February 2021 following a battle with stage IV small-cell lung carcinoma.<\/p>\n