44°
He was 101 years old.
Lear, known for creating such iconic situation comedies as "All In the Family," and "Maude," was born in Connecticut in 1922 in New Haven, the eldest child of Jeanette and Hyman "Herman" Lear, a traveling salesman.
He grew up in a Jewish household. When Lear was 9 years old and living in Massachusetts with his family in Chelsea in Suffolk County, his father went to prison for selling fake bonds.
As a teenager, Lear, who graduated from high school in Hartford, won a scholarship to Emerson College in Boston, after winning an American Legion oratorical contest about the US Constitution, his obituary said.
When the US was drawn into World War II, Lear dropped out of Emerson College, and he flew on 52 combat missions over Europe in a B-17 bomber.
In the 50’s, Lear began a career writing and producing television programs, his obituary said.
Lear transformed American television with a series of shows in the 1970s that generated national conversations by dealing openly with issues that challenged families and the country as a whole, his obituary said.
He wrote and produced American classics that spanned an over 75-year career, beginning with "All In the Family," in 1971 and including such hits as "The Jeffersons," and "Sandford and Sons."
His lasting impact on American culture was recognized with the National Medal of Arts in 1999. “Norman Lear has held up a mirror to American society and changed the way we look at it,” President Bill Clinton said in presenting the medal, his obituary said.
Lear, who was convinced that laughter had lengthened his own life, used humor to enrich the lives of others, his obituary said. He said that his upbringing convinced him of the absurdity of the human condition. “I’ve never been in a situation in my life, however tragic, where I didn’t see comedy,” Lear said in the 2016 documentary, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.
Lear is survived by his wife Lyn Davis Lear; his six children — Ellen Lear, Kate Lear (Jonathan LaPook), Maggie Lear (Daniel Katz), Ben Lear (Lily Blau), Madeline Lear (Justin Romeo), Brianna Lear; and his four grandchildren — Daniel, Noah, Griffin and Zoe.
A private memorial is planned.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Tarrytown-SleepyHollow and receive free news updates.
