Dennis Haskins, the actor best known for playing the stern but often warm-hearted Principal Richard Belding on the hit sitcom ‘Saved by the Bell’ (1989), has died at the age of 75.

His longtime agent Jay Schachter confirmed his death, describing it as a tragic loss and remembering Haskins as someone who deeply cared about his fans. The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

Haskins became a familiar face to television audiences through his portrayal of Mr Belding, the principal of the fictional ‘Bayside High School’.

His character was frequently caught between maintaining order at school and dealing with the elaborate schemes of students including Zack Morris, Kelly Kapowski and AC Slater.

His recurring catchphrase, ‘Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here?’, became closely associated with the character.

The actor's association with the franchise extended well beyond the original series. He had initially appeared as the school principal in ‘Good Morning, Miss Bliss’ (1988), the series that preceded ‘Saved by the Bell’.

He then continued as Belding through ‘Saved by the Bell’ (1989), later reprising the role in ‘Saved by the Bell: The College Years’ (1993) and ‘Saved by the Bell: The New Class’ (1993).

Haskins also appeared in two television movies connected to the franchise, ‘Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style’ (1992) and ‘Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas’ (1994). The latter featured the long-awaited wedding of Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski.

His career, however, stretched far beyond Bayside High. Before finding widespread recognition through ‘Saved by the Bell’, Haskins had appeared in several television shows during the 1970s and 1980s, including ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’, ‘CHiPs’, ‘Knots Landing’, ‘Magnum, P.I.’ and ‘The Twilight Zone’.

Following his years as Mr Belding, Haskins continued working steadily across television and film.

His later television credits included appearances in ‘The West Wing’, ‘The Practice’, ‘JAG’, ‘7th Heaven’, ‘Mad Men’, ‘New Girl’, ‘Hot in Cleveland’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother’. His film credits included ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ (2014) and ‘Clemency’ (2019).

In 2015, Haskins reunited with several of his former ‘Saved by the Bell’ co-stars, including Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Thiessen, for a sketch on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’.

Tributes began emerging following news of his death, with those who knew him remembering not only the actor behind Mr Belding but also his connection with fans.

Schachter said Haskins always made time for them and remained deeply appreciative of their affection.