Norman Lear, legendary TV producer, dies at age 101

Norman Lear, the legendary television producer known for comedies such as "All in the Family" and "Sanford and Son," died at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 101. 

He died from natural causes Tuesday, Variety reported Wednesday.

"Thank you for the moving outpouring of love and support in honor of our wonderful husband, father, and grandfather," Lear's family said in a statement.

Lear's shows were groundbreaking as they were among the first to address serious political and cultural issues, including racism, homosexuality, abortion and the Vietnam War. He was one of the most progressive philanthropists in Hollywood and received numerous honors, including the National Medal of Arts in 1999 and being placed in the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame.

He was born in 1922 in Connecticut and dropped out of Emerson College in Boston in 1942 to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, where he flew 52 missions in B-17 bombers over Europe in World War II.

"Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity, and empathy. He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all," Lear's family also said. "Knowing and loving him has been the greatest of gifts. We ask for your understanding as we mourn privately in celebration of this remarkable human being."

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