Norman Lear, the creator, writer and producer of such iconic TV classics as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and The Jeffersons, died of cardiac arrest, according to a Los Angeles County death certificate filed today.
Lear died in Los Angeles at 101 on Dec. 5. At the time, a spokesperson for the family said only that he died of natural causes.
The death certificate lists the immediate cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest, with congestive heart failure an underlying cause.
Lear’s other series included Sanford & Son, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, and Fernwood 2 Night/America 2 Night, among others. He remained active even as he approached his 100th birthday, winning Emmy Awards in 2019 and 2020 for installments of Live in Front of a Studio Audience, in which episodes of All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Good Times were re-enacted with new performers.
“Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity and empathy,” his family said in a statement at the time of his death. “He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all. Knowing and loving him has been the greatest of gifts.”
Lear’s death prompted a torrent of tributes, with everyone from All in the Family‘s Rob Reiner and Friends‘ Jennifer Aniston to President Joe Biden and Jimmy Kimmel offering their memories and praise.
The death certificate was first obtained by TMZ.
