Norman Lear, TV Legend, Dies at 101

The writer, producer, and developer Norman Lear, who transformed American humor in the early 1970s with daring, wildly successful comedies like “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son,” passed away on Tuesday. He was 101 years old, Variety said. Variety was informed by Lear’s representative that he passed away at home in Los Angeles from natural causes. In the upcoming days, a private ceremony for the close family will be held.

As stated by Variety, “Thank you for the moving outpouring of love and support in honor of our wonderful husband, father, and grandfather,” Lear’s family said in a statement. “Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity, and empathy. He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all. Knowing and loving him has been the greatest of gifts. We ask for your understanding as we mourn privately in celebration of this remarkable human being.”

Having already established himself as one of the country’s leading comedy writers—having earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for ‘Divorce American Style’ in 1968—Lear conceived the idea for a new sitcom based on a popular British show about a conservative, outspokenly bigoted working-class man and his fractious Queens family. According to reports, “All in the Family” became an immediate hit with audiences of all political persuasions. By adding sharp new twists to the traditional domestic comedy formula, Lear’s programs were the first to tackle the major political, cultural, and social concerns of the day, such as racism, abortion, homosexuality, and the Vietnam War. Two episodes of the 1977 television series “All in the Family” explored the attempted rape of Edith, the wife of main character Archie Bunker.

Due to their newfound outrageousness, they were huge ratings successes: “Family” and “Sanford,” which are both based on Black families in Los Angeles, briefly held the top two spots in the nation. There were no less than six spin-offs from “All in the Family.” In addition to a Peabody Award for Lear in 1977, “Family” won four Emmys in 1971–1973, “for giving us comedy with a social conscience.” (For his professional accomplishments, he was awarded a second Peabody Award in 2016.) Lear’s previous efforts questioned established TV conventions. A fresh idea for a comedy, “One Day at a Time” (1975–1984), starred a single mother of two small kids. Similar to this, the development of two Black children adopted by a wealthy White businessman was shown in “Diff’rent Strokes” (1978–1986).

Long before the term was coined, Lear’s other shows were meta. While the program was never picked up by a network, “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” (1976–1977) mocked the warped drama of daytime soap operas and went on to become a beloved off-the-wall entry in syndication. The quirky “Hartman” offshoot “Fernwood 2 Night” was a spoof chat show that took place in a small Ohio town. Later, the show was redesigned as “America 2-Night,” moving the action to Los Angeles. Lear consistently maintained that his comedies followed the same basic formula: keep the audience laughing.

‘Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You’, a 2016 documentary, chronicled his long career. Later on, he authored a book and hosted the podcast “All of the Above With Norman Lear.” In 2014, “Even This I Get to Experience” was made available. In addition, he served as executive producer of the documentary “Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It.” According to Variety, he is survived by his third wife Lyn Davis, six children, and four grandchildren.