Dennis Haskins, Saved by the Bell's Mr Belding, died of Parkinson's disease

Dennis Haskins, best known as Principal Richard Belding on Saved by the Bell, died from Parkinson's disease.

His death certificate lists Parkinson's as the cause, according to TMZ, as reported by Deadline. Haskins died on 27 September in Burbank. He was 75.

Haskins had been diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2018. He kept the diagnosis largely private, Deadline reported. He had been living in an assisted living facility before his death, according to TMZ.

His agent, Jay Schachter, confirmed the death to Deadline. Tributes followed from former co-stars. Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen both shared public messages after the news, according to TMZ.

Haskins first played Belding in 1989 in Good Morning, Miss Bliss, a Disney Channel series starring Hayley Mills. The part made him the patient, often exasperated head of the school. After one season, the show was reworked as Saved by the Bell on NBC.

He stayed with Saved by the Bell for its full four-season run. The series followed a group of high school friends and made Saturday morning television appointment viewing for a generation. Mr. Belding was the adult in the middle of it all.

Haskins did not leave the role there. He returned for Saved by the Bell: The New Class in 1993 and remained for seven more seasons until its finale in 2000. That long run made Belding one of the most constant faces across the franchise.

Born in 1950 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Haskins attended the University of Tennessee, according to WTHR. He worked steadily as a character actor outside the Bayside corridors. For many viewers, though, he will remain the principal knocking on classroom doors.

What stands out is duration. Few television roles last across three series and more than a decade. His did.