Ed Asner passed away

The tv icon who portrayed Lou Grant in the series with the same name has peacefully passed away while surrounded by his family. Asner - the former president of the Screen Actors Guild - is most well-known for his portrayal of the somewhat moody but sympathetic chief editor of the fictional paper The Los Angeles Tribune. Lou Grant was a spin-off to The Mary Tyler Moore Show which also featured Asner.

Asner won seven Emmy Awards for his work, the highest number ever to be won by a male actor. He also used his voice for various animated movies, including Disney/Pixar's Up.

The passing of Asner was revealed by his family through his Twitter account:

We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.

— Ed Asner (x-on:TheOnlyEdAsner) August 29, 2021

In a statement - which was also made on Twitter - Pixar said the following:

Ed was our real life Carl Fredricksen: a veneer of grouch over an incredibly loving and kind human being. Russell, Dug, and all of us at Pixar will miss him terribly. pic.twitter.com/7jZJUbiHD9

— Pixar (x-on:Pixar) August 29, 2021

Director Michael Moore shared a story regarding Asner on Twitter:

Making my 1st film, Roger & Me, I was broke so I wrote to some famous people to ask for help. Only one responded: Ed Asner. “I don’t know you, kid, but here’s 500 bucks” said the note attached to the check. “Sounds like it’ll be a great film. I was an autoworker once.” R.I.P. Ed pic.twitter.com/AuGCNlyNnC

— Michael Moore (x-on:MMFlint) August 29, 2021

Asner was also part of various series such as Cobra Kai, The Closer and Dead to Me. He was part of the voice cast of Dug Days, which was released on Disney+ on the 1st of September.

Yitzhak Edward Asner became 91 years old. R.I.P.