Dennis Haskins, the actor who played Principal Richard Belding on Saved by the Bell, has died at 75, according to his friend and caretaker, as reported by WTVC in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. A cause of death has not been confirmed.
Haskins was born in Chattanooga on November 18, 1950, and was heavily involved in campus life at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he was a founding member of the Harlequins community theater group and served as the student government entertainment chairman. He first played Belding in Good Morning, Miss Bliss on the Disney Channel in 1988. When the show was retooled as Saved by the Bell on NBC in 1989, Haskins was the only adult in the regular cast, and he stayed in the role through Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which ended in 2000. His catchphrase, “Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?”, became a fixture of 1990s television, and he later turned up in projects including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and A Million Ways to Die in the West.
Wrestling fans knew him as one of their own. In the run-up to January 2012, Haskins made multiple appearances on Zack Ryder’s “Z! True Long Island Story” YouTube series, and a fan petition with more than 1,500 signatures pushed for him to replace John Laurinaitis as general manager of Raw. Haskins announced his plans to attend the show on The Miz’s SiriusXM radio program, while making clear he could not promise any on-screen role.
He did not get the GM job, but he did get his night. Haskins sat at ringside for the January 16, 2012 Raw in Anaheim, California, where he was spotted behind the announce desk and drew a big reaction from the crowd. WWE.com noted that Chris Jericho passed him by during one of his ringside walks. Referee Charles Robinson also posted photos of Haskins backstage with himself and fellow referee Chad Patton.
Haskins also stepped into the independent scene at age 61, serving as host and guest enforcer for Pro Wrestling Syndicate’s “Saved By the Ring Bell” show in New Jersey, according to a TMZ report at the time.
SEScoops sends its condolences to Haskins’ family, friends, and the generations of fans who grew up with Mr. Belding.
