Entertainment TV Ice-T Opens Up About 'SVU' Costar Richard Belzer's Death 1 Month Later: 'Crushed Me' The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star and Ice-T's Daily Game podcast host reflects on finding wisdom and joy amid the loss of his longtime friend and costar, who died on Feb. 19 By Alex Ross Alex Ross Instagram Twitter Alex Ross is a Writer-Reporter on the Entertainment team at PEOPLE. She previously worked at E! News and the Today show and is a Boston University graduate. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 24, 2023 02:23 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Ice-T is known for his succinct one-liners on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and he's just as straight-to-the-point when he discusses his real life — including the pain of losing a very close friend. The star has the distinction of being the longest-running male actor on television thanks to his performance as Sergeant Fin Tutuola on SVU for 23 seasons. And he's coming off a huge month in which he turned 65, performed at the Grammys and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But just two days after he was celebrating in the streets of Hollywood, he learned his dear friend and longtime costar Richard Belzer had died suddenly at age 78. "After that great week, coming off the star ceremony, I partied with all my friends in L.A. — 'Ice, you brought a star back to the hood!' — it was a great night," he recalls. "Woke up, Belzer passed away. And it just crushed me." Revisit Richard Belzer's Heartwarming 'Parting Scene' on Law & Order: SVU Law & Order/Youtube In the wake of Belzer's death, the "jewel" of wisdom he shared with his social media followers was an especially poignant one. "I did a quote after that, and I said, 'Whenever you're having a good time, really enjoy it. Don't feel guilty about partying, having that moment, because pain is guaranteed,'" explained the rapper, who is parlaying the "Ice Cold Facts" he shares on social media into a new podcast called Ice-T's Daily Game. "It's sad but true," he continues. "The pain of life is inevitable. We're going to lose people. People are going to be sick. Happiness is rare. I'm happy right now, but I'm talking about that moment where you're just happy, you're partying and you tend to feel guilty sometimes. That moment, enjoy that to death, because the pain is coming. Suck those moments up." Mariska Hargitay Reacts to Law & Order: SVU Costar Richard Belzer's Death: 'Goodbye My Dear, Dear Friend' Ice's wisdom, he says, comes from "licks" he's gotten over the course of his life, and he advises, "Things you've gone through — it's never a loss. It's always a lesson." Courtesy iHeartPodcasts Ice-T Joined by Wife Coco and Daughter Chanel During Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony The dad of three (who is married to Coco Austin) also has plenty of guidance for his kids, too. "All my kids, my son, he gets [Ice Cold Facts] every day. My grown daughter. And Chanel is going to live amongst the wisdom," he says. The same goes for his SVU costar Mariska Hargitay. "I taught Mariska one thing," he shares. "I learned that you have to learn how to say no sometimes." He continues, "Mariska's a very giving person and it can make you sick worrying about other people and not taking care of yourself. I believe that a lot of times people need to use that word 'no.' We keep each other sane." Ice-T and Mariska Hargitay pose for a photo. Todd Williamson/NBC via Getty Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, and the iHeartPodcasts and Audity podcast Ice-T's Daily Game drops new episodes every weekday.