Norman Lear, the producer who made comedies an American television industry, has died at the age of 101

Norman Learscreenwriter, director and producer who A revolution in prime-time television Bear bear political unrest and social world cTV comedyHe died Tuesday night in his sleep 101 years old.

Lara Bergthold, his family spokeswoman, said he died surrounded by his family at his home in Los Angeles, California.

Lear was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on July 27, 1922, the son of Herman Lear, a convicted stockbroker. To prison for selling fake bondsand Janet, a housewife who helped inspire Edith Pinker.

Like a sitcom, his family life was full Oddities and grudges“A group of people who lived on their nerves and at the top of their lungs,” he explained during a 2004 appearance at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.

The local industry described it as “A liberal activist For popular entertainment,” he created bold, controversial comedies that were embraced by viewers who tuned in to the evening news to find out what was happening in the world.

His shows helped define prime-time comedy. Prime time audience in the 1970sAssociated Press reports.

Lear “removed the television from Foolish wives and foolish fatherss, pimps, prostitutes, scammers, private investigators, Junkies, cowboys And the thieves who made up the TV mess, instead The condition of the American people“The late Paddy Chayefsky, a screenwriter from the early “Golden Age” of television, once said.

The tributes on social media didn’t take long to arrive.

“I loved Norman Lear with all my heart. He He was my second fatherAnd the. “Sending my love to Lynn and the entire Lear family,” actor Rob Reiner wrote in X.

Norman used the sitcom to highlight prejudice, bigotry and inequality. “He created families that mirror our own,” he said. Jimmy Kimmyl, one of the most popular television presenters in the United States today.

One of his most famous creations was “All in the Family”. It dealt with current news while also drawing on Lear’s childhood memories of his tempestuous father.

Lear’s work transformed television at a time when old shows like “Here’s Lucy,” “Ironside” and “Gunsmoke” still dominated. CBS, Lear’s parent network, will soon implement a “rural purge” and cancel shows like “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Green Acres.” Groundbreaking comedy “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” One working woman in Minneapolispremiered on CBS in September 1970, just months before “All in the Family” began.

ABC rejected “All in the Family” twice, and CBS posted a disclaimer when it finally aired the show: “The show you are about to watch is All in the Family.” It seeks to highlight in a humorous way our vulnerabilities, prejudices and fears. By making it a source of laughter, we hope to show, in a mature way, how ridiculous it is.

At the end of 1971, “All In the Family” was number one in the ratings and Archie Bunker was one of the best… Popular culture constructs He was the former president Richard Nixon among his fans.

Lear’s commercial success allowed him to express his passionate political beliefs outside the small screen. In 2000, he and a partner purchased a copy of the Declaration of Independence for $8.14 million and sent it on a cross-country tour.

He was An active donor to Democratic candidates He founded the nonprofit liberal advocacy group People for the American Way in 1980, he said, because there were people “abusing religion.”