Fans of Saved by the Bell are saying goodbye to one of Bayside High’s most recognizable adults. Dennis Haskins, best known for playing Principal Richard Belding, has died at 75.
Haskins’ death was confirmed by a friend and caretaker, according to reports from his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
For an entire generation, Haskins was the face of the principal’s office—and somehow managed to make getting caught by the school administration entertaining. As Mr. Belding, he became famous for his booming “Hey, hey, hey!” greeting whenever Zack Morris and the gang were inevitably up to something.
Haskins first appeared as Principal Belding in Good Morning, Miss Bliss, the Disney Channel series that was eventually retooled into Saved by the Bell. When the show moved to NBC in 1989, Haskins remained the lone adult regular surrounded by Bayside’s famously chaotic students.
He stayed with the franchise through Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which continued until 2000, making him one of the longest-running figures in the show’s universe.
But there was much more to Haskins than Mr. Belding.
The Chattanooga native continued working steadily after Saved by the Bell, appearing in projects including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and A Million Ways to Die in the West. He also had a particularly enthusiastic connection to professional wrestling.
Haskins was a major wrestling fan and even appeared on WWE Monday Night Raw in 2012. He later participated in independent wrestling events, proving that Principal Belding could apparently survive both detention and a wrestling ring.
His death also comes as the Saved by the Bell cast and its fans continue to look back at the show’s remarkable cultural staying power.
Bayside High may have closed its doors years ago.
But for millions of viewers, Mr. Belding will always be standing in that office, wondering what Zack did this time.
