Norman Lear dead at 101: Legendary sitcom writer behind All in the Family and The Jeffersons passes away
LEGENDARY sitcom writer Norman Lear, famously recognized for his work in All in the Family and The Jeffersons, has died at age 101.
Lear died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles, his family spokesperson confirmed to The New York Times.
Today anchor Al Roker paid tribute to Lear on social media, sharing: "What a giant of comedy and a genuinely nice man. @thenormanlear will be missed. 101 years of funny."
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, and raised primarily in Massachusetts, Lear was a five-time Emmy Award winner, a member of the Television Academy Hall of Fame, and a National Medal of Arts recipient.
Starting as a public relations official in the early 1950s, Lear got his big break as a television writer when CBS picked up his show, All in the Family.
The show premiered on January 12, 1971, and tackled social and political issues which were deemed controversial at the time.
All in the Family revolves around two working-class white families - the Stivics and the Bunkers- representing the real-life clash of values between the greatest generation and baby boomers living in Queens, New York.
The groundbreaking comedy earned 57 Emmy nominations during its run, winning 22, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
The show is often regarded as one of the most significant series in United States TV history and is ranked fourth in TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
In a prolific career that spanned more than six decades, Lear created and developed some of the most innovative comedy shows on television, including Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons.
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