Legendary TV Producer Norman Lear Dead At 101

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Norman Lear, the groundbreaking television producer whose hits include "The Jeffersons," "All in the Family," and "Maude," died Tuesday, a spokesperson for his family said. He was 101.

Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said spokesperson Lara Bergthold.

Also a writer and director, Lear revolutionized primetime television with topical programming and propelled sitcoms into the stratosphere with political and social themes that sparked discussion and debate.

Lear fashioned bold and controversial comedies embraced by viewers who had to watch the evening news to find out what was happening in the world. His shows helped define primetime comedy in the 1970s, launched the careers of Rob Reiner and Valerie Bertinelli and made middle-aged superstars of Carroll O'Connor, Bea Arthur and Redd Foxx.

"I loved Norman Lear with all my heart. He was my second father. Sending my love to Lyn and the whole Lear family," Reiner wrote on X, fomerly Twitter.

"All in the Family" was immersed in the headlines of the day, while also drawing upon Lear's childhood memories of his tempestuous father. Racism, feminism, and the Vietnam War were flashpoints as blue-collar conservative Archie Bunker, played by O'Connor, clashed with liberal son-in-law Mike Stivic (Reiner). Jean Stapleton co-starred as Archie’s befuddled but good-hearted wife, Edith, and Sally Struthers played the Bunkers' daughter, Gloria, who defended her husband in arguments with Archie.

ABC passed the show twice, and CBS was initially reluctant to take on the daring series, Lear would say. When the network finally aired "All in the Family," it began with a disclaimer: "The program you are about to see is 'All in the Family.' It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are."

With his wry smile and impish boat hat, the youthful Lear created television well into his 90s, rebooting "One Day at a Time" for Netflix in 2017 and exploring income inequality for the documentary series "America Divided" in 2016. Documentarians featured him in 2016's "Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You," and 2017's "If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast," a look at active nonagenarians such as Lear and Rob Reiner’s father, Carl Reiner.

Lear was born in New Haven, Connecticut. on July 27, 1922, to Herman Lear, a securities broker who served time in prison for selling fake bonds, and Jeanette, a homemaker who helped inspire Edith Bunker. He would remember family life as a kind of sitcom, full of quirks and grudges, "a group of people living at the ends of their nerves and the tops of their lungs," he explained during a 2004 appearance at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.

He is survived by his wife, Lyn Davis; their son Benjamin and daughters Brianna and Madeline; a daughter from his first marriage to Charlotte Rosen, Ellen; two daughters from his second marriage to Frances Loeb, Kate and Maggie; and four grandchildren.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.