Norman Lear’s family sang him TV theme songs as he died
The legendary creator of shows like All In The Family and The Jeffersons died Tuesday at 101 years old
Aux News Norman Lear
Norman Lear passed away listening to the sound of his own legacy. The legendary TV producer and writer died Tuesday at 101 years old, surrounded by his family as they serenaded him with some of his favorite songs. This comes via his son-in-law, Dr. Jonathan LaPook, who told CBS Mornings that Lear’s family “did what we knew he would want us to do” as he died. “We were singing songs from Les Mis, which he loved, and also some of the songs from his TV shows,” LaPook said.
Lear created multiple iconic series throughout his career, like All In The Family, Maude, One Day At A Time, Sanford And Son, Good Times, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Fernwood 2 Night, and The Jeffersons. While singing the theme song from this last show, LaPook felt a flood of emotion. “We were singing ‘movin’ on up to the East Side’ and I heard myself saying ‘to a deluxe apartment in the sky,’ I just lost it. Because he’s going to some deluxe apartment in the sky,” he said.
It sounds like Lear’s family was also able to celebrate his extraordinary life as he died. “We wanted him to have a gentle landing and have no pain,” LaPook added. “If you were to say to someone in their 40s, ‘How do you want to die?’ [they would probably say,] ‘At age 101, surrounded by loved ones, with them singing to me and laughing and without any pain,’ and that’s exactly what happened. He had this expression: ‘Over and next.’ When something was over, it’s over, and it’s onto ‘next.’ It’s the best definition of living in the moment.”
Lear’s family aren’t the only ones mourning his loss right now. Upon news of his death, a flood of stars, colleagues, fans, and admirers came forward to pay tribute to the TV pioneer. Today, Lear’s co-creator of the One Day At A Time reboot, Mike Royce, weighed in on his colleague’s legacy in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter: “May his memory be a blessing. He’s the rare person who is pretty much guaranteed it’s going to be. He’s created memories for so many people. He’s changed the life of everybody in the country; he changed my life personally. America is a different place because of him. And certainly, television charted an entirely new path led by him.”
28 Comments
OK, that’s pretty damn beautiful.
I get that in this context it’s supposed to be a sweet, loving experience. However if I was dying and the people around me began singing TV show theme songs, I’d probably be convinced I was already in Hell.
I suppose it would depend on the TV show. If I heard The Big Bang Theory song as I was dying, yeah I’d think Hell.But if I heard “Movin’ On Up” I’d be happy.
Look who’s too good for BNL, who has has two Billboard Awards to your zero.
The only options are the themes to Gilligan’s Island and Malcom In The Middle.“Movin’ On Up” would be super cool if it was this version.
What if it was a loop of the Seinfeld slap-n-pop?
It does sound truly nightmarish
Nonsense. I scat the theme from Sanford and Son like an angel.
Come and knock on our door! We’ve been waiting for you! You’re in hell!
‘How do you want to die?’ Quietly, in my sleep, like my grandfather.Not screaming in terror, like the people in the car he was driving.
That’s deep.
(It’s also stolen from Jack Handey, uncredited.)
Lighten up, Frances.
Not that deep, really. The car was in only about 20 feet of water.
I recognized it as a Deep Thought.
Y’know, the guy was such a positive force, and a kind man, and by all accounts a great boss… but, TBH, he was not really a “Creator”. He was an ‘Adapter’, or, as his actual credits indicate, a “Developer”.His biggest hits, “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son” were merely adaptations of the UK’s “Til Death Do Us Part” and “Steptoe and Son”, and all the class-clash and social issues were already baked into those shows. “Maude”, “Good Times”, and “The Jeffersons” were all spin-offs of the former, with development spearheaded by other writers employed by Lear (though Maude was inspired by his soon-to-be-ex-wife).“One Day At A Time” was created by a married writing couple, and developed by Lear. “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was an adaptation of the radio show “The Bickersons”; “Fernwood 2night” is a spin-off of Mary Hartman. All his other shows, including 3 other attempted spin-offs of All in the Family (!) flopped.Lovely, lovely man. Boon to the industry and culture. Very funny writer and reliable producer. “Creator”? Not even his guild credits him that far on the actual shows.
Yeah that always sticks a bit in my craw, especially when Sanford and Son starts off adapting Galton & Simpson scripts.And most of the brilliant weirdness of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is down to Gail Parent and Ann Marcus.
Not to make light of it, that’s a heartwrenching story, but I can’t not picture them screeching “SONGS THAT MADE THE HIT PARADE!” in over-the-top Edith Bunker voices right in his ear.
I want to know what happened to his hat. Will it be buried with him, donated to the Smithsonian, auctioned off for charity, or what?
That sounds nice. I wouldn’t mind going out to the Love Theme From MST3K.