Norman Lear's wife, Lyn Lear, was with him to the very end.
In 1987, the "All in the Family" creator married Lyn Lear after his first two marriages to Charlotte Lear and Frances Lear ended in divorce.
Together, Norman and Lyn Lear welcomed three kids, son Benjamin Davis Lear and twin daughters Madelaine Rose and Brianna Elizabeth Lear.
After more than three decades of marriage, Norman Lear's family announced on Dec. 5 that he died at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family members.
“Norman lived a life of curiosity, tenacity, and empathy. He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all,” his family said in a statement.
“He began his career in the earliest days of live television and discovered a passion for writing about the real lives of Americans, not a glossy ideal. At first, his ideas were met with closed doors and misunderstanding. However, he stuck to his conviction that the “foolishness of the human condition” made great television, and eventually he was heard,” the statement continued, adding a private funeral service will be held for immediate family.
Read on to learn more about Norman Lear's third wife, Lyn.
Norman Lear and Lyn Lear were married for over 30 years
In a 1990 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Norman Lear recalled his love story with Lyn and said they met in 1984 when one of their mutual friends brought her over on a blind double date with Norman Lear and his second wife, Frances.
While Norman Lear said they spent most of the evening talking about the advocacy group People for the American Way and Lyn Lear's doctoral dissertation, he said he got to know her better once they had lunch a couple of weeks later.
Over time, he said they "fell in love" and realized his marriage to Frances was over.
In 1987, the pair got married and have been inseparable since.
Lyn Lear was nominated for an Emmy
Like her hubby, Lyn Lear is an exquisite filmmaker. The documentary filmmaker has her own production company called Lyn Lear Productions where she "inspires, educates and activates audiences on global and environmental issues through film, television and all forms of media," per the official website.
Over the years, Lyn Lear has produced some great films like 2014's "Cesar's Last Fast," 2021's "Bring Your Own Brigade," and 2023's "Defiant."
But out of all her projects, she's probably most known for her work in 2019’s “The Great Hack," which earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Lyn Lear has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
According to her official website, Lyn Lear has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
In a recent interview with People, Norman Lear said he always loved the fact that his wife was her own person.
“My wife is her own individual, and I fell in love with that,” he said. “She is a sterling human being. I love that she loves me.”
Lyn Lear is a mom of three
Lyn Lear is a proud mom of three kids, Benjamin and twins Madelaine and Brianna, whom she shares with her hubby.
However, Norman also is a father to his daughter Ellen, whom he welcomed with his first wife, Charlotte, and his two daughters Kate and Maggie, whom he shares with his second wife, Frances.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Norman Lear recalled the moment he told Kate and Maggie about Lyn Lear and said he might've rushed the process a bit.
“I did like Ben Benedict — moving too fast," he said. "Insisting that they ought to be able to get together and find each other and love each other more quickly than life allows."
However, Norman Lear soon learned that his efforts were futile.
“My daughters love their mother very deeply,” he said. “(And) Frances was very much alive. But a daughter isn’t eager to meet the woman that has replaced her mother. It would be unreal if one were to assume that they would find that enjoyable. But they love me. I have great daughters, terrific daughters."
Lyn Lear is an environmentalist and co-founded a non-profit
Lyn Lear is passionate about the environment. According to her official website, she co-founded the Environmental Media Association (EMA) with her husband in 1989. The EMA is dedicated to promoting environmental causes through storytelling.
The duo also co-founded the Lear Family Foundation, which supports numerous nonprofit organizations around the country that help in education, youth initiatives, health and more.
Lyn Lear had a good work-life balance with Norman Lear
In 2015, Lyn Lear spoke to PBS for the "Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You" documentary.
While speaking with the network, she said she and Norman Lear would always put their busy schedules aside to make time for one another.
"We do have breakfast together as much as possible, but not every day," she said. "He gets up much earlier than I do, so he gets up and reads the paper and he works out at different times. But we always have dinner together at night and we talk about a lot of things at night, and we do make appointments to talk about things as well."
"When we drive to places, we talk in the car. We talk as much as we can," she added.