Dennis Haskins, 'Saved by the Bell' principal Mr. Belding, dies at 75 - USA Today

Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for playing lovable principal Richard Belding on the NBC teen sitcom "Saved by the Bell," has died. He was 75.

Haskins' agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed the actor’s death to USA TODAY early Tuesday, Sept. 29. 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."

Haskins became an instantly recognizable TV presence as Bayside High’s well-meaning principal who was frequently comically exasperated by the schemes of Zack 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 (who died in 2021 of cancer).

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 TV credits, including appearances on "The Dukes of Hazzard," "The West Wing," "How I Met Your Mother," "7th Heaven," "Mad Men," (as Cool Whip executive Phil Beachum) and "Hot in Cleveland."

In movies, Haskins played a snake oil salesman in "A Million Ways to Die in the West."

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 X after the ceremony. "I can't thank you enough for this past weekend! It was a blessing!"

Mario Lopez, who starred as A.C. Slater in the show, mourned Haskins' death in an Instagram post Sept. 29.

"Heartbroken to hear about my old friend Dennis Haskins. He played the principal, but Dennis was the biggest kid on the SBTB set," Lopez said. "If you knew him, you loved him—and if there was karaoke, you knew Dennis was getting on that mic! I’m grateful for the laughs, the memories, and the friendship we shared all these years. Rest easy, my friend. You’ll always be part of our Bayside family."

Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle on the '90s sitcom, praised Haskins upon news of his death.

"Knowing Dennis Haskins for almost 40 years has been one of the truest blessings of my life, which makes losing him hurt so deeply," she wrote on Instagram late Monday, Sept. 28. "We 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. Rest in peace Dennis, you will always hold a special place in my heart."