Saved by the Bell star Dennis Haskins dies aged 75

Dennis Haskins, the actor who played Principal Richard Belding on Saved by the Bell, has died aged 75. His death was confirmed on Monday to WTVC NewsChannel 9 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the actor was born, by a friend and caretaker. A cause of death has not been confirmed.

Haskins was born on 18 November 1950 in Chattanooga. He first played the bumbling-but-good-hearted Belding on Disney Channel’s Good Morning, Miss Bliss in 1988, then continued the role when the show was retooled as Saved by the Bell on NBC, which ran from 1989 to 1993. He was the only adult in the regular cast, and later stayed on as Belding for Saved by the Bell: The New Class until 2000.

The character’s exasperated catchphrase — “Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?” — became one of the sitcom’s most recognisable running gags.

Beyond Bayside High, Haskins worked across television and film, including a Saved by the Bell reunion sketch with castmates on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2015. But it is Mr Belding, the endlessly put-upon principal forever trying to keep Zack Morris and the gang in line, for which he will be remembered.

Sources

• TMZ, “Saved by the Bell Star Dennis Haskins Dead at 75”, 28 September 2026: https://www.tmz.com/2026/09/28/saved-by-the-bell-star-dennis-haskins-dead-at-75/
• WTVC NewsChannel 9, “Chattanooga native Dennis Haskins, ‘Saved by the Bell’ principal, dies at 75”, 28 September 2026: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/chattanooga-native-dennis-haskins-saved-by-the-bell-principal-dies-at-75-principal-mrbelding-utc-tennessee-notre-dame-sitcom-90s-80s-tv
• The TV Cave, “Dennis Haskins, ‘Saved by the Bell’ Principal Mr. Belding, Dies at 75”: https://www.thetvcave.com/post/dennis-haskins-saved-by-the-bell-principal-mr-belding-dies-at-75
• Wikipedia, “Dennis Haskins” (birth date and role facts only): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Haskins