Norman Lear, who wrote and produced sitcoms, has died at the age of 101, according to a family representative.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Lear was best known for his groundbreaking comedies, such as Sanford and Son and The Jeffersons.
It is known that the famous American author won five Emmy Awards and is in the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
His family said that getting to know Lear had “been the greatest of gifts” in a statement.
They also said, “Thank you for all the kind words of love and support you sent our way in honor of our wonderful husband, father, and grandfather.”
The life of Norman was full of imagination, determination, and understanding. He loved our country very much and worked his whole life to protect its founding ideas of fairness and justice for everyone.
A natural cause killed Lear at his Los Angeles home.
George Clooney said in a statement, “It’s hard to believe that Norman Lear is gone too soon at 101 years old.” The most powerful voice for reason has been silenced, and our family has lost a close friend. He was walked on by a giant.”
Joan Collins said that Lear “changed the face and soul of American comedy.” She also said, “My heart is heavy.”
Lear was called one of the “great Humanists who changed the world by being honest about the love, laughter, and troubles we all share” by Mark Ruffalo, who plays Thor in the movies.
Lear was called “one of the greatest to ever do it” by Alan Sepinwall, who is the head TV critic for Rolling Stone.
“almost single-handedly changed our ideas about what kinds of stories TV could show.” In the context of a multi-cam comedy, that’s almost impossible to imagine.
In an Instagram post, actress Jamie Lee Curtis shared a picture of herself with Lear and said that she had been working with the sitcom writer lately.
“He was working on a project with me and he and Lyn welcomed us into their home in October where we talked politics and comedy and family,” she shared.
“Norman Lear was a great example to me and millions and millions of other people.”
Lear was born in 1922 and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. He started his work in public relations after the war, when he was stationed in Foggia, Italy, as a member of the army air forces.
In 1970, he wrote his first comedy show, All in the Family, which was a copy of the British show Til Death Do Us Part.
People often didn’t like how the show, which was about two working-class families in Queens, New York, showed the political and social problems of the time.
The groundbreaking show ran for nine seasons, until 1979, and was nominated for 57 Emmys. It won 22 of them, including one for best comedy series.
He had said before that Archie Bunker was based on his father, who was a Jewish traveling dealer and went to prison when Lear was nine for selling fake bonds.
Edith, Archie Bunker’s wife, was based on Jeannette Lear, Lear’s mother.
Lear wrote many other comedy shows over the course of his long career. One of these was Good Times, which aired in 1974 and was the first show to regularly feature an African-American family on TV.
His next sitcom, The Jeffersons, which ran from 1975 to 1985, showed an African-American couple who were successful in New York society without any remorse.
In the middle of the 1970s, Lear had five popular comedies on during prime time. CBS, the broadcaster, said that about 120 million Americans watched his shows every week.
One of them was Sanford and Son, which adapted Steptoe and Son from the BBC for American audiences. For five of its six seasons, it was one of the ten most-watched shows in the US.
Lear also created a number of movies, such as Come Blow Your Horn (1963), which starred Frank Sinatra, and Divorce American Style (1967), which was nominated for an Oscar for best screenplay.
Lear caused a lot of trouble by speaking out against racism, sexism, and homophobia. He was even put on President Richard Nixon’s “enemies list.”
T.V. host Jerry Falwell called Lear “the number one enemy of the American family.” Lear had been married three times and had six children.
Funny writer Phil Rosenthal said in the 2016 documentary Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, “TV can be broken into two parts, BN and AN: Before Norman and After Norman.”
Mel Brooks, another famous comedian, called Lear “the bravest television writer, director, and producer of all time.”
Rob Reiner, a filmmaker, called Lear a “second father,” and actor Albert Brooks called him “the greatest of the greats.”
“Rest in peace, Norman Lear,” wrote and produced The Simpsons’ Al Jean. Hugely funny, always there for the underdog, and a pleasure to know. Really and deeply missed.”
In the past few years, Lear and Jimmy Kimmel worked together on a number of Live in Front of a Studio Audience! specials, in which remakes of his old shows were played by a cast full of famous people.
He stayed involved in politics and started the leftist non-profit group People for American Way, which fought against the ideas of the religious right.
Kimmel told Deadline, “It’s silly to want more time with someone who lived a hundred years longer than you, but losing Norman Lear, even at 101 years old, feels unfair.”
“His bravery, integrity and unmatched moral compass were equalled by his kindness, empathy, and wit.”
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