Norman Lear, the politically active, legendary producer who brought “All in the Family” and other TV hits into the living rooms of millions of Americans, has died at 101.
Lear died Tuesday, a statement posted on his social media accounts on Wednesday said.
He “lived a life in awe of the world around him,” according to the statement. “He marveled at his cup of coffee every morning, the shape of the tree outside his window, and the sounds of beautiful music. But it was people — those he just met and those he knew for decades — who kept his mind and heart forever young.”
In addition to “All in the Family,” Lear produced several other 1970s classic sitcoms, including “Maude,” “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford and Son.”
In 1981, Lear founded the liberal group People for the American Way. The TV pro told ITK in a 2011 interview that he was spurred to create the First Amendment rights organization because of a deep love for the United States instilled in him by his immigrant grandfather and due to the growing influence at the time of televised evangelists, including Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
He was awarded the National Medal of Arts by then-President Clinton in 1999.
Clinton praised Lear, saying he “has held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it. From Archie Bunker’s living room in Queens, to Fred Sanford’s junkyard in Watts, he has employed the power of humor in the service of human understanding.”
Lear was a fierce critic of former President Trump, referring to the then-GOP White House hopeful in 2016 as “the middle finger of the American right hand.”
“Whether you’re Republican or a Democrat, can we all seriously agree this is bad for America?” he said.
In 2017, Lear, who was poised to be recognized at that year’s Kennedy Center Honors, said he would boycott a reception at the White House with the then-president.
“This is a presidency that has chosen to neglect totally the arts and humanities — deliberately defund them — and that doesn’t rest pleasantly with me,” Lear said at the time. The White House reception never happened following Lear’s criticism.
The father of six, who was 89 when ITK spoke with him in 2011, indicated at the time he had no intention of slowing down.
“I got up this morning. And I’m going to get up tomorrow morning. There’s always something to do. I will be stopped, but I won’t stop. I will have to be stopped.”
Updated at 10:05 a.m.