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Ed Asner, gruff ‘Lou Grant’ star, dead at 91

Ed Asner, who portrayed grizzled news producer “Lou Grant” for more than a decade, as well as other rough-around-the-edge characters, has died at 91.

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Asner’s family confirmed the death on social media on Sunday.

“We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully,” the family said on Asner’s Twitter profile. “Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.”

A publicist for Asner also confirmed his death to Variety. A cause of death has not been released.

Asner earned five of his seven Emmys for his portrayal of the tough-talking Lou Grant. He portrayed Grant for seven seasons of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and another five seasons on the spin off series “Lou Grant.” He also won Emmys for his roles in the mini-series “Rich Man, Poor Man” and “Roots.”

As Screen Actors Guild president, Asner was caught up in controversy in 1982 when he spoke out against the U.S. involvement in El Salvador. Asner blamed the controversy for CBS canceling “Lou Grant.” The network insisted declining ratings was the reason. Asner remained politically active for the rest of his life and in 2017 published the book “The Grouchy Historian: An Old-Time Lefty Defends Our Constitution Against Right-Wing Hypocrites and Nutjobs.”

Asner had more than 300 acting credits over the course of his career which spanned decades. His career was rejuvenated in 2009 when he lent his voice to the animated movie “Up.” He had more recently made appearances on shows including “Grace & Frankie,” “Cobra Kai,” and voiceover work on “American Dad!,” Variety reported.

He was married twice, to Nancy Lou Sykes and Cindy Gilmore, and had four children, Matthew, Liza, Kate and Charles.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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