Actor Dennis Haskins, best known for playing the principal Mr. Belding on Saved by the Bell, has passed away at age 75.
His agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed the news to Peoplemagazine on Monday, September 28. Further details about his death were shared by Dimples Karaoke Bar, where Haskins was a regular.
According to the Burbank, Calif. establishment, Haskins passed away on Sunday night after a years-long health battle.
“About eight years ago, he became ill,” Dimples disclosed in an Instagram tribute. “He had been silent about his fight with Parkinson’s among other health concerns, because he did not want the attention. He did not want to have to tell people. He would say, ‘What do I even say?’ So I respected his wishes and stayed quiet, and I helped him through his journey into the next chapter of his life. Late last night, that journey ended for him.”
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Haskins briefly played basketball at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before making his acting debut in a 1979 episode of The Dukes of Hazzard.
His defining role came as Mr. Belding, the good-natured principal who frequently found himself dealing with the antics of Zack Morris, A.C. Slater, Jessie Spano, Kelly Kapowski, Lisa Turtle and Screech Powers.
Beyond the franchise, Haskins appeared in How I Met Your Mother, The West Wing, 7th Heavenand Hot in Cleveland.
2026-09-29 17:21:00
