Many people were affected by Norman Lear’s death, including President Joe Biden. In an official statement from The White House, the POTUS reflected on how Lear’s long television career embodied America with diverse shows such as “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times,” as well as the often controversial, yet groundbreaking sitcom, “All in the Family.” The president continued, “Throughout his over-75-year career — which included more than 100 different shows and films, as well six Emmys, two Peabodys, a National Medal of Arts, and a Kennedy Center Honor — he never shied away from tough topics, taking on issues of racism, class, divorce, and abortion, capturing the grace and dignity in people’s lives.”
Lear’s daughter Kate Lear honored her father’s 100th birthday last year on July 27, 2022. “I am the daughter of an extraordinary man, and I have been a loving observer of his life for more than six decades,” she began, per PBS. She then shared that the secret to his long life was his unfailing optimism. Kate continued, “This is a man who goes to bed each night dreaming of the cup of coffee he will have in the morning, who has lived a life in which each meal magically turns out to be better than the one before (‘this is the best pasta I’ve ever had!’), and who has said, many times, that he doesn’t want to wake up the day that he doesn’t have hope.” Norman will be missed by many.