The cast and crew of One Day at a Time are mourning the death of Norman Lear. The longtime TV producer and Latine ally died of natural causes on Tuesday (December 5) at the age of 101.
Lear is best known for creating and producing classic 1970s sitcoms like All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and the OG One Day at a Time. In 2017, Lear helped remake One Day at a Time alongside Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce and changed the narrative to follow a Cuban-American family.
On social media, Moreno, Machado and Kellett shared tributes to him. Moreno, who played outspoken grandmother Lydia in the remake, reflected on what the world has lost by losing Lear.
“I am cut to the quick and already lonesome for my dear friend, Norman,” Moreno wrote. “Our nation has lost a treasured looking glass. By his reflected wit we were disarmed enough to see our wrinkles. And he wasn’t promoting makeup but heart transplants.”
Machado, who played Moreno’s characters’ daughter Lupita in the remake, wrote about how Lear changed her life and always had her back.
“Goodbye my dear friend,” she wrote. “You were truly one of a kind. I will forever miss you and how you made me feel. That’s what you did; you made everyone around you feel something bigger than they could have ever imagined. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for making me feel like I belonged. Thank you for letting me be a tiny part of your incredible life and legacy.”
Co-showrunner/writer/director of the remake, Kellett, thanked Lear for everything he did for the TV industry and beyond.
“I miss you already,” she wrote. “Words fail me. I love you, Norman. Thank you for everything. I know you’re already making them laugh up there. Somehow 101 years just wasn’t long enough.”
And co-showrunner Royce noted that Lear had changed his life.
Rest in peace, Norman Lear.
