Norman Lear, ‘All in the Family’ creator, dies at 101
Norman Lear FILE PHOTO: Norman Lear attends Cool Comedy Hot Cuisine: A Tribute to Bob Saget at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on September 21, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. The "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons," "Good Times" and "Maude" producer died at the age of 101. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
By Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Norman Lear, the influential television writer and producer who created groundbreaking series including “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons” and “Maude,” has died, family members announced Wednesday. He was 101.
In a statement posted on social media, Lear’s family said he died Tuesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles.
“Norman passed away peacefully on December 5, 2023, surrounded by his family as we told stories and sang songs until the very end,” the statement read.
“Norman lived a life in awe of the world around him. 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.”
Lear transformed American television in the 1970s with a series of immensely popular sitcoms that included political satire and other topics that had earlier been considered taboo.
“He began his career in the earliest days of live television and discovered a passion for writing about the real lives of Americans, not a glossy ideal,” family members said Wednesday. “At first, his ideas were met with closed doors and misunderstanding. However, he stuck to his conviction that the ‘foolishness of the human condition’ made great television, and eventually he was heard.”
Lear was born in July 1922 in New Haven, Connecticut, and attended college in Boston before dropping out to enlist in the Army following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, he flew on 52 combat missions over Europe.
He went on to become a publicist in New York City, and then a comedy writer and producer in California. At the time, sitcoms were mostly seen as a form of escapism — but that changed in 1971, with the debut of Lear’s “All in the Family.”
“You looked around television in those years,” he told The New York Times in 2012, referring to the middle and late 1960s, “and the biggest problem any family faced was ‘Mother dented the car, and how do you keep Dad from finding out’; ‘the boss is coming to dinner, and the roast’s ruined.’ The message that was sending out was that we didn’t have any problems.”
Within five months of its debut in January 1971, “All in the Family” had become the top-rated show in the U.S. with 50 million viewers each week, Bloomberg News reported. The show went on to earn Lear four Emmys and a Peabody Award.
He created several other shows that also dominated ratings in the 1970s and early 1980s, including “Sanford and Son,” “Good Times,” “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” and “One Day at a Time.”
His 75-year career earned him a spot in the Television Academy Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1984 and a National Medal of Arts in 1999.
“Norman Lear has held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it,” then-President Bill Clinton said while presenting the National Medal of Arts.
Lear is survived by his wife Lyn Davis Lear, six children — Ellen Lear, Kate Lear, Maggie Lear, Ben Lear, Madeline Lear and Brianna Lear — and four grandchildren.
Through the years LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 22: ALL IN THE FAMILY featuring Jean Stapleton and Carroll O'Connor speaking to the show's creator/writer: Norman Lear. Image dated December 22, 1970. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) (CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 1: Norman Lear, creator of the CBS television series "Maude," is shown in this September 1, 1972, photo. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) (CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images)
Through the years Musicians Dionne Warwick, Norman Lear and Olivia Newton-John attend an event on June 14, 1974 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CA - MARCH 30: Norman Lear and mother attend 30th Annual Writer's Guild of America Awards on March 30, 1978 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Through the years Equal Rights Amendment fundraiser hosted by American actress Marlo Thomas and American actress Jane Fonda, billed as 'one of the last of the red-hot fundraising rallies for the Equal Rights Amendment,' held at Marlo's home in the Hollywood neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California, 11th June 1978. In attendance were stars such as Marlo Thomas, Jane Fonda, Chevy Chase, Norman Lear, Susan Blakely, Carol Burnett, Lee Grant, Lily Tomlin, Rob Reiner, Kate Jackson, Shirley MacLaine, Penny Marshall, Elliott Gould, Henry Winkler, Bella Abzug, and Sidney Poitier. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) (Bettmann/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 10: The American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) 9th Annual Entertainer of the Year Awards. This CBS television special broadcast on Wednesday, January 10, 1979. Pictured from left to right, Ann-Margret with Norman Lear. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) (CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images)
Through the years MALIBU, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: Norman Lear attends the book party for "A Political Affair" on September 23, 1979 at Paul Ziffren's home in Malibu, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Through the years 12/7/1979- Sioux City, IA- Television comedy producer Norman Lear (L) gets a laugh 12/7 from Senator Edward Kennedy, as the two talk aboard Kennedy's campaign plane flying over Iowa. Lear joined the Kennedy entourage during the Democratic presidential candidate's Iowa swing, traveling as what Lear termed "an observer". (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years Television producer Norman Lear, who established "People for the American Way," is a leading national figure in a battle to neutralize what he calls "the new religious right." He has been labelled "the Number One enemy of the American family" by Jerry Falwell, head of the Moral Majority. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 27 : TV show creator Norman Lear at home, February 27, 1984 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha Jr/Getty Images) (Bob Riha Jr/Getty Images)
Through the years 1990: Gregory Peck and Norman Lear (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Through the years NEW YORK CITY - NOVEMBER 18: Television writer Norman Lear and actor Alec Baldwin attend the People for the American Way's Sixth Annual "Spirit of Liberty" Award Salute to Norman Lear on November 18, 1990 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Through the years 1994: LOS ANGELES FILM PREMIERE: 'THE SANTA CLAUSE' (Photo by Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images) (Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 25: Norman Lear (L) and Sir Richard Branson are shown seated at a table at the 20th Anniversary Environmental Media Awards at the Paramount lot October 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) (Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 24: Producer Norman Lear arrives at the 21st Annual PGA Awards at the Hollywood Palladium, on January 24, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Through the years CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 08: Television writer/producer Norman Lear speaks during the 30th Anniversary of People For The American Way Foundation on September 8, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images for People For The American Way) (Joey Foley)
Through the years SANTA MONICA, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Writer/producer Norman Lear arrives at "South Park's" 15th Anniversary Party at The Barker Hanger on September 20, 2011 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: People For the American Way Founding Chair Norman Lear and Alec Baldwin attend People For The American Way Foundation's 30th Anniversary Celebration on October 6, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for People For The American Way Foundation) (Neilson Barnard)
Through the years WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 06: Actor Robert Downey Jr. (L) and writer Norman Lear arrive at the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows" held at the Regency Village Theatre on December 6, 2011 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CA - OCTOBER 14: Host Viola Davis and Honoree Norman Lear arrive at the Rape Treatment Center Brunch honoring Norman Lear hosted by Viola Davis at Green Acres Estate on October 14, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for RTC) (Charley Gallay)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 19: (L-R) Producer Norman Lear, screenwriter/director/producer Ryan Murphy and actor Alan Alda attend the 40th International Emmy Awards on November 19, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images) (Robin Marchant/Getty Images)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 03: Writer Norman Lear and writer/director Rob Reiner attend the 29th Annual Television Critics Association Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 3, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CA - NOVEMBER 11: Director Judd Apatow (L) and writer Norman Lear attend PEN Center USA's 24th Annual Literary Awards Festival at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on November 11, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images) (Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 24: Actor/producer Brad Pitt (R) accepts the PGA Visionary Award from producer Norman Lear onstage during the 26th Annual Producers Guild Of America Awards at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on January 24, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images) (Mark Davis/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 24: Writer/producer Norman Lear attends a Career Reflection with Norman Lear presented by SAG Foundation's The Business at SAG Foundation Actors Center on February 24, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images for SAG Foundation) (Angela Weiss/Getty Images for SAG Foundation)
Through the years CULVER CITY, CA - JUNE 02: Writer-producer Norman Lear (L) and co-founder and member of the Board of the Environmental Media Association Lyn Lear attend the 2015 Sundance Institute Celebration Benefit at 3LABS on June 2, 2015 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) (Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 01: (L-R) Executive producer Michael Kantor, subject Norman Lear and filmmaker Rachel Grady speak onstage during the 'American Masters: Norman Lear' panel discussion at the PBS portion of the 2015 Summer TCA Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 1, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Through the years ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: Norman Lear and Marla Gibbs attend an intimate gathering in honor of Norman Lear at Morehouse College on November 30, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images) (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
Through the years ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: Norman Lear speaks during an intimate gathering in honor of him at Morehouse College on November 30, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images) (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
Through the years HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 11: Writer Normal Lear (L) and host will.i.am attend will.i.am's i.am.angel Foundation TRANS4M 2016 Gala at Milk Studios on February 11, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for i.am angel foundation) (Kevork Djansezian)
Through the years WESTWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: (L-R) President/CEO of EPIX Mark Greenberg, senior producer Jesse Williams, executive producers Norman Lear and Common attend EPIX "America Divided" LA Premiere at Billy Wilder Theater at The Hammer Museum on September 20, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for EPIX) (Joshua Blanchard)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 07: (L-R) Honorees Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner and producer Norman Lear attend the Carl and Rob Reiner Hand and Footprint Ceremony during the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. 26657_003 (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for TCM) (Charley Gallay)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 07: Writer Norman Lear attends the Carl and Rob Reiner Hand and Footprint Ceremony during the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for TCM) (Charley Gallay)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Writer/producer Norman Lear (L) and actor Carol Burnett speak onstage during the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 02: The five recipients of the 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors pose for a group photo following a dinner hosted by United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in their honor at the US Department of State on December 2, 2017 in Washington, D.C. From left to right back row: LL Cool J and Lionel Richie Front row, left to right: Carmen de Lavallade, Norman Lear and Gloria Estefan. The 2017 honorees are: American dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade; Cuban American singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan; American hip hop artist and entertainment icon LL COOL J; American television writer and producer Norman Lear; and American musician and record producer Lionel Richie.
(Photo by Ron Sachs - Pool/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 02: Norman Lear, one of he five recipients of the 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors with his award as he poses for a group photo following a dinner hosted by United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in their honor at the US Department of State in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, December 2, 2017. The 2017 honorees are: American dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade; Cuban American singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan; American hip hop artist and entertainment icon LL COOL J; American television writer and producer Norman Lear; and American musician and record producer Lionel Richie. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: Honoree Norman Lear (L) and Bob Saget attend the AARP TV For Grownups Honors at Sunset Tower on July 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images) (Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Norman Lear and Michael Douglas attend Ted Sarandos' 2018 Annual Netflix Emmy Nominee Toast on September 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix) (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 19: Yara Shahidi (L) and Norman Lear attend the GLSEN Respect Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on October 19, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GLSEN) (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GLSEN)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: (L-R) Norman Lear, Justina Machado, Brent Miller, Sheridan Pierce, Gloria Calderon Kellett, Isabella Gomez, Nicky Endre, Mike Royce and Michelle Badillo attend the "One Day at a Time: Season Three" Screening and Panel at the LGBT Center on February 06, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Television) (Rich Polk/Getty Images for Sony Pictures T)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 07: Actress Rita Moreno and producer Norman Lear attend the premiere of Netflix's 'One Day At A Time' Season 3 at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 on February 07, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images) (JC Olivera/Getty Images)
Through the years HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 10: Norman Lear in the Heineken Green Room at Vulture Festival Presented By AT&T at The Roosevelt Hotel on November 10, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for New York Magazine) (Rich Fury/Getty Images for New York Magazi)
Through the years PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 13: Norman Lear of "One Day at a Time" speak during the Pop TV segment of the 2020 Winter TCA Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 13, 2020 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Through the years UNSPECIFIED - MARCH 04: In this screengrab, Caucus Co-founder Norman Lear makes a special appearance at The Caucus of Producers, Writers and Directors 38th Annual Caucus Awards Gala on March 4, 2021. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for the 2021 Caucus Awards Gala) (Getty Images/Getty Images for the 2021 Caucus)
Through the years HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JULY 20: (L-R) Norman Lear and Marla Gibbs attend the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony honoring Marla Gibbs on July 20, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: (L-R) Norman Lear and Robert Downey Jr. attend Netflix's "Sr." reception on December 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix) (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 31: (L-R) George Chakiris, Rita Moreno and Norman Lear attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Paramount Pictures’ “80 For Brady” presented by Smirnoff ICE at the Regency Village Theatre on January 31, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Paramount Pictu)