Norman Lear has died at 101 years old. The legendary producer was the man behind many iconic TV shows, like All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Good Times, and many more. Besides being a television icon, Norman was also a beloved husband to his wife Lyn Lear from 1987 until his death on December 5, 2023. While his longest marriage was to Lyn, Norman had two more women that he had called his wife prior to meeting here.
Following the sad news of his passing, get to know more about Norman’s marriage, plus his past loves.
Lyn Lear
Norman met Lyn Davis in 1984, and the pair eventually got married in 1987. The producer said that they had met when a friend brought Lyn as a date to a dinner party, according to a 1990 Los Angeles Times interview. At the time that they met, Norman had reconnected with his second wife Frances, but he and Lyn eventually hit it off. “We had lunch a couple of weeks later, and over time, we fell in love,” he told The Times.
Lyn is also a filmmaker, with her own production company, which has created documentaries like The Vow on HBO and The Lincoln Project on Showtime. She also has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a dedicated environmentalist, according to her bio.
Norman has spoken about how he loves Lyn, because of how invested she is in her own projects. “My wife is her own individual, and I fell in love with that,” he told People in an interview. “She is a sterling human being. I love that she loves me.”
Lyn and Norman also had three children together. Their eldest son Benjamin was born in 1988, shortly after they got married. The pair also welcomed twin daughters Brianna and Madelaine in 1994.
Frances Lear
Before Lyn, Norman was married to his second wife Frances Loeb for nearly 30 years. The pair tied the knot in 1956 in Las Vegas. The couple had two daughters Kate and Maggie. After the pair’s divorce was finalized in 1985 and she received a large settlement, she spoke about how influential she was on her husband’s television career. “I was very much a part of his thinking,” she often said, per The New York Times. “Norman could not have done his shows without me.”
In the late 1960s, Frances worked on a number of political campaigns, including Eugene McCarthy’s failed presidential run. After the divorce from Norman, she used her settlement to begin the monthly women’s magazine Lear’s, which ran until 1994. She died in 1996 at 73 after a battle with breast cancer.
Charlotte Lear
Norman was married to his first wife Charlotte Rosen from 1943 until 1956. Of his three wives, the lease is known about Charlotte, but the pair did have one daughter Ellen together.